Elysium Empire- May.4, 2024
The air is hot and dry. Though summer has barely even begun, the 60 or so people attending a yard sale are regretting having left their sunglasses and caps at home. The forecast said it would be a light warmth with mostly breeze until nightfall.
Not this blistering heat that was bearing down upon them like chains!
Two ice-cream trucks had stopped making their rounds and had simply parked nearby. Business was clearly booming as kids kept dragging their parents back for more freezies.
It was very noisy, on top of being very sweaty.
Bonnie Demont, a beautiful chestnut-haired woman, is deeply engrossed, examining a collection of both fake and real jewelry. She liked to pickup knickknacks that looked weird with the sole intention of figuring them out. She firmly believed that peculiar objects must have an intriguing backstory.
The yard sale was massive. Three different families had converged to sell their hand me downs. Bonnie had already lost track of her older sister twenty minutes ago.
Further down, another chestnut haired woman with similar features was shifting through a large collection of books. Dixie Demont's demeanor was a far cry from her little sister's carefree attitude. Her face was unnaturally pale, stress lines had formed on her forehead, and the continued lack of proper sleep had left her looking like a racoon. She was no longer the happy socialite she once was. Depression, heartbreak and financial hardships had marred her features.
Sweating under the scorching sun, she opened book after book with the hopes of finding something that would distract her mind. She was tired of going to bed weeping every night.
Two full years had passed since her graduation and she had yet to find a job which matched her degree. To make matters worse, her increasing student debt was slowly crushing her soul after their wealthy father had cut them off.
Fredrick Demont, sole patriarch of the Demont family, had bounced all her calls and ignored all of her texts and emails before proceeding to block her number completely. Hers and Bonnie's. The man was clearly determined to act as though he didn't even have daughters.
All because of that bitch!
Weren't evil stepmothers just meant to be villains in fairytales? Strictly confined to the pages of the book? Why did this one have to step out and ruin everything?
Dixie ran a hand through her hair as a tear slid down her nose. She cursed out loud and wiped away her weakness. "Dammit, enough girl! You're here to distract your mind from that shit. Don't put yourself in a bad mood. Look around, the sun is shining. Many people are smiling and laughing. Just focus on that. Harmonize with your environment, goddammit!"
Several heads turned in her direction. Dixie blushed furiously and waddled away. Normally her outbursts happened inside.
She walked over to another table laden with books. The collection appeared very worn out. Her eyes lingered on one placed off to the side. There was no title or author name, just a black cover with a white infinity symbol drawn in the center.
How peculiar.
She smiled politely at the old woman seated behind the table and pointed at the book, asking for the price. The elderly lady looked a bit confused at first, then her expression quickly shifted into surprise. She looked back and forth between Dixie's finger and the invisible book.
Could it be? After all this time? Had the Goddess granted Elysium another hope?
"I'm....sorry, young girl, but which book are you referring to?" She asked, her voice laced with anticipation.
Dixie's brows furrowed in confusion. She tapped her finger on the black cover. It was hot at touch. "This one right here."
The woman's wrinkled face lit up with curiosity. "Can you describe what you see on the cover?"
"Aah, an infinity symbol?" Dixie replied, puzzled.
The lady gasped and clasped her hands together. "Take it then, little lady! This token is now yours."
Dixie's eyebrow arched at the strange choice of words. She inquired about the cost again.
"No cost. It's yours! If you can see it then that means it has chosen you! Or rather, SHE has chosen you!"
Dixie pressed her lips together. "What are you talking about?"
The elderly woman's eyes became dreamy. "Our Protector, of course! Goddess Kartara!"
Dixie smirked. So, she was dealing with a practitioner of Kartaranism. Hence the woman's cryptic way of speaking. What were the odds of her encountering an adherent of this fringe religion? Less than 1% of the entire population. It was an ancient faith which had once thrived in the empire. A form of paganism which lost its impact upon the minds of the citizens over 400 years ago. According to historians, after the fall of the royal Cromwell family, Elysium was taken over by the empress of the northern Imperium Empire. Apparently, the entire ruling class, as well all members of the holy church in Elysium had died from a poisonous, red fog. A plague, as it was commonly understood today. The red fog was speculated to be nothing more than superstitious nonsense. Subsequently, the central cathedral of Goddess Kartara was destroyed by the conquering army. And hundreds of years later, the country was as atheistic as it could possibly be.
The sisters had studied the history of Kartaranism in high school. Though currently irrelevant, it was what had founded the birth of Elysium.
Withdrawing from her thoughts, Dixie pulled out her wallet. "I cannot take this book for free. I appreciate your generosity, but please charge me for it."
The old woman shook her head. "I cannot charge you for it. That would be breaking her rules."
"What--are you referring to your Goddess?" Dixie chuckled in amusement.
"Yes! As you've already guessed I'm sure, I am a worshipper of the Almighty, Goddess Kartara. And I must give this book to you for free because not only did you see it, but you also saw the symbol. Her symbol!"
"I thought the Goddess's symbol was a sword?" Dixie inquired, bits of her former lessons surfacing.
The old lady smiled. "Yes, the Holy Sword is the Goddess's most important artifact and the infinity symbol is its subset. It represents the impact of the Goddess's magic throughout the times."
Although Dixie was intrigued, she wasn't in the mood for a lengthy conversation. She was hungry, hot and tired. She picked up another book at random and asked for its price. The old lady sold it to her for $15 dollars and placed the black book on top of it.
"You must take this. Please do not argue with me. I am an Auror. I know a lot. I've seen a lot. I see things most people cannot see."
Dixie was baited again. "Are you a fortune teller?"