5 minutes, huh? Well, if we're gonna be sitting here for that long, I might as well tell you a story. But what story should I tell..?
Ah, I've got one, though we probably won't be able to get through the whole thing. This is a tale from a very long time ago, possibly one of the most important tales of this world. I won't tell you exactly how long ago this happened, though. That'll be a mystery for you to figure out yourself. Now, let's begin, shall we?
Waves crashed, lapping up against the rocky shores. A girl stood alone on the large, metallic precipice overlooking the ocean. Her hand was pressed against some tall rusted pole, her green dress swaying in the breeze. The ocean sprawled out forever, beyond any sense that the girl could possibly hold. So far as she was aware, there was nothing beyond this point but the water. No other lands, no ends to the world, nothing but sea.
She watched as the brine sprayed up against the coast, reaching a few feet into the air. Of course, she was nowhere near the water. That precipice was a large slant of tarnished steel that reached a hundred feet above that coast. To her, standing at the top and looking down over the water, the spray of foam was merely a splash of white against the otherwise blue canvas.
"Darling!" The girl turned, looking out inland. The metal gave way to earth, and beyond that was a village and a forest dominated by the towering steel frames of the ancients' temples. Right at the point where dirt gave way to steel, her mother stood, holding a woven basket carrying some herbs. "Get away from the edge of the seawall, it's dangerous."
The girl complied, walking over and taking her mother's hand.
"What have I told you about coming here?" Her mother continued, "You have to keep your feet on the soil. If your toes touch metal then you're too close to the edge."
The girl apologized, and she was led home. The sun was beginning to set, and the stars were starting to show. They were innumerably vast, yellow and orange, glimmering against the blue-pink sky. The girl always thought of the heavens as a pure place. While the land was marked by humans in all manners and forms, the night sky formed an unbroken tapestry of lights, much as the sea formed a perfect reflection of it.
As she passed into the village with her mother, she saw two boys playing. They rolled in the dirt roads, wrestling with each other over something the girl couldn't quite make out. She kept following her mother, despite a desire to participate in the children's fun. Their home was built out of the ruins of the ancients, as nearly all homes had been for the past century. The village shied clear of the towering steel frames for fear of collapse, but that did not preclude the usage of the ancients' smaller buildings.
Their house had two concrete walls, the other two made of wood and a thatched roof. They stepped in through the doorway, where her father was tending to a cooking pot.
"How was the forest?" He asked.
"Good," the mother said. "I managed to dig up a few things, should help with the dinner." She began pulling out some of the herbs and a knife, starting to chop them. "Though our dearest daughter was off playing at the seawall again."
The girl had plopped down in one of the corners of the room, staring at an exposed bit of metal jutting out from the crumbling concrete wall. It had thick threads, forming a spiral pattern that the girl found fascinating.
"Oh, don't worry about her," the father said. "She's just a curious child. She won't do anything dangerous."
"She was standing at the edge," the mother said, "Practically leaning over the side. What if she fell?"
"And what if our son fell in any of his daring adventures?" The father said, "Exploration is in our blood. You're the one who decided to marry a man of the Traveler. If you wanted a calm family, you should have married my brother! Wahaha."
The mother huffed. "That man is sign of the Smith, and he's just as boring as all the other Smiths. I'm very glad I passed on him."
The husband laughed and the girl said, "When do I get my sign?"
"Soon enough," the father said, "But you know, the gods are fickle. Ouroboros especially. I hear he doesn't like it when children disobey their mother. I hear he withholds their sign when they do."
The child gasped. "But why? What if they do it on accident?"
"Oh, accident, you say?" The father made a gesture of pondering this. "Well, I suppose they better get ready to apologize. And they'd better not do it again."
The girl swiveled her head to her mother. The mother giggled. "That's enough, you don't need to scare her."
Nevertheless, the girl got up from her place and ran over to her mother, saying she's sorry a million times and wrapping herself around her mother's leg. The mother tried to calm her, and the father chuckled as he continued with the stew. It was then that the sound of the door opening filled the small house. A man stood within its entrance, the girl's older brother, wrapped in one of the ancient's coats. It was brown and buttoned, framing his toned figure.
"You're back!" The girl ran over, trading one leg for another. He laughed and ruffled her hair as the mother approached.
"How was your journey?" She asked.
"Fantastic," he said, "Possibly the best yet. But first, how are you feeling?"
"Me?" The mother said. "Don't worry about me, I'm alright. What did you find?
The brother grinned. "Oh, I brought back something strange. Really strange. Not some weathered jacket or old metal machinery, but something I don't even know how to explain."
The parents shared a look, and the father said, "We were hoping you might bring back something of more... practical application. With winter coming soon..."
"I know, I know," he said, "But trust me, this is worth it. I can go back in a week if I really need to, but this was something I had to bring back."
"Well," the father said, "Let's see it, then."
The brother trudged over to the table with her sister still clinging on, and set his bag down. It fell against the wooden table with a solid thud, drawing the girl's attention. She climbed upon one of the chairs to watch, as the whole family gathered around. The brother undid the clasp on the bag and withdrew an almost spherical object. The girl peered into its surface like a void, with pinpricks of light contained within. Only, at times the girl noticed those lights shudder. To fuzz, almost like her eyes were going out of focus. She rubbed them, but the fuzzing continued. And she noticed the same was happening to the edges of the object itself, as if its form were not fixed but altered itself at random, though always maintaining a near-spherical shape.
The adults spoke about something, but the girl wasn't listening. Instead she continued to stare at the strange object. It was entrancing. It called to her in a way she couldn't quite explain. Then, possessed by curiosity she asked, "Can I touch it?"
The parents looked to the brother, and he said, "Well, I touched it quite a bit on the road home, so I don't see why not."
The girl looked to the mother, for she did not want to displease Ouroboros. "You can, sweety. Just be careful."
And so she was. Gingerly, she moved her fingers toward the object. It emanated some strange thrumming sensation, a singular chord warbling within her mind. When her fingers brushed against its surface, she felt a connection to this strange object. It reached into her soul, and promised her the power to change fate. She did not know what that meant, and she did not understand the fate that she had been given, yet she desired nothing more than to accept its gift.
END of Prologue. We'll have to resume this another time.
Itenus: Inalia! 5 minutes are up!
