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The Meaning Of Fear wrote: |
The newcomer was not exactly an impressive sight. His clothes, a long-sleeved shirt and folded-up trousers, were damaged and frayed. His shoes were no better off. The grayed hairs on his head were in a mess, a strand of it lying over his forehead. But what Rel found the most remarkable was his face. The old man’s eyes were so full of hope and joy Rel found it hard to take his gaze away from them. When those dropped to ground level and saw the rabbits, the expression on the old man’s face was so comical Rel found he could not continue looking. Scrambling to his feet with more speed than one would expect form an elderly man, he addressed Rel again, this time with a hint of hopefulness. |
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Still trying to get a hold of the situation, Rel found his brain somewhat unresponsive, and no reply was given. |
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“I’ve run into a little bad luck in my travels, and, well…” the sentence was not finished, but his goal was clearly shown in his eyes. |
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A sudden idea hit as Rel’s tired brain finally caught up with the present. He has in dire need of information, and this person, an inhabitant of this world, will definitely have what he needs to know. |
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“Of course I can give you some food,” he promised, slowly and reassuringly, “but I want you to answer some questions first.” |
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“My name is Neil. I am normally a scholar, but sometimes my research prompts me to travel a bit.”
The answer made Rel raise an eyebrow. A small spark of curiosity jumped in his head, wishing to know what kind of “research” would make an elderly jump into the wilderness, but he ignored the impulse. “Where are we?” |
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“I take it from that question that you are a foreigner?”
This counter-question was not answered and, with a sigh, Neil continued, “We are on the continent of Chronica, in the Kingdom of Messyrias, and I believe we are somewhere inside the forest to the east of Hermysville, a small farming town. By the look on your face, I’m thinking that this isn’t of much help to you?” |
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Relius groaned and tore at his hair in exasperation. “I don’t even know where North is in this place… Now that I think about it, why did I even ask you? You’re lost too!”
This outburst of emotion seemed to amuse Neil, who laughed, but not meanly. “Don’t worry. With any luck, we shall be able to find the village I was speaking of. I’m sure we won’t have any problems surviving in this place, you and me.” |
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This show of friendliness drew a blink of surprise, and then a smile. It seems he now had a companion on this accidental trip. |
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Whilst the rabbits, now with sticks driven through them cooked on a small, crackling campfire, Neil told Rel about himself in more detail.
Neil had worked as a professor in a humble institute for most of his life, and had jokingly added that, “Everything before teaching was learning, at the exact same place.” Having married quite late into his life, he only had a single son, who he is now out of touch with. His wife had passed away a few years ago. He paused, and for a moment, Rel could see a hint of melancholy about the old man, but Neil recovered quickly and started to talk about his current research. He had, by chance, discovered some documents concerning a strange, fog-like phenomenon in one of the institute library’s dusty shelves. At first, they seemed to be some sort of fiction, a fantasy of a wild imagination or ramblings of the insane. However, the writings interested him, and he delved further into the topic. To his surprise, news of a strange, seemingly ghostly apparition reached him that was eerily similar to that described in the papers in his possession. After confirming this with several sources, he had set out to find the phenomenon for himself. He and his recently hired assistant set off, but they were separated and he got lost. |
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A small uneasiness stirred in Rel’s stomach. The heat emanating from the small fire was quite warm, but he found himself shivering with apprehension. |
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“The author of the paper records that small objects have come out of the phenomenon. He subsequently attempted to throw some in to see how it would react, but whatever object he threw inside disappeared… It seems he has also attempted to coax a cow-”
“Stop!” Neil jumped in surprise at the shout, and looked at the boy. Rel sat on the ground, rabbits laid down beside the fire. He hugged his legs close to his chest, and took a few deep breaths. |
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The question surprised Rel. He had expected a torrent of inquiries about the Doors, information which would be vital to the professor’s research. Instead, it was this. A sincere, sympathetic question. |
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He’s a good man, Frenary whispered into his mind, shocking him after being silent for the better part of an hour, You should tell him everything that happened. But leave out the part about me, okay?, she added quickly. |
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“It’s all right… If you don’t want to talk about it, it’s fine. But I promise I’ll do everything in my power to help you…” the offer was quiet, almost whispered, but Rel could detect genuine concern in his voice. |
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The boy took a few more deep breaths to steady his nerves. He searched for the words inside his head, and began, “Where I come from, we call them Doors…” |
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The ragged-looking professor chuckled. “You said that on this side, the Door was floating on top of the bed and beside the wall,” he pointed out, “My guess is that when you first attempted to come through, you pushed against said wall and couldn’t get through.” |
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