"Take a seat here, child. I'll bring over some food." The old lady said as she pointed at the sofa in the living room.
Iota took a seat after staring at her pointed finger before setting aside Spring comfortably. The old lady didn't seem to mind his silence as she entered the kitchen to put some food on two plates.
The reason he picked this house wasn't just its proximity to the summoning location, but also because the old lady seemed to be the sole person living in the house.
Iota was born with a photographic memory. His brain also had very high computing power, allowing him to quickly process the visual data captured by his eyes. The garden wasn't as well maintained as compared to the other houses in the vicinity, the interior was mostly silent, there were minimal traces in the field, and the clothes hung to dry only belonged to one person.
Just these clues were enough to determine that the old lady was the only person living in the house. She also seemed to be on the older side, unable to spend enough time to take care of the garden. Her loneliness also showed through the careful arrangement of the plants in the garden.
These clues were enough for Iota and hence, he thought he had a higher chance of appealing to the loneliness of the old lady who might be willing to accommodate strangers, foreigners at that.
And he was right on the money, as the old lady did seem happy to have some visitors. Until he learnt more about this world, he planned to stay somewhere safe. And this place seemed perfect for that.
But the larger, more convincing reason was Spring's reaction toward this house, which primarily influenced his thoughts. It was just a minor action, but it didn't miss his eye.
"Ugh…" Spring woke up right as the old lady had gone to the kitchen. And the moment she was about to raise her confusion, Iota placed his hand on her mouth, preventing her from speaking.
He leaned in on her ear and whispered, "You might have a lot of questions, but save them for later. At present, just act as if you're deaf and dumb. I'm doing the same, so trust me on it."
For a moment, she showed zero trust in his words. But when she looked around, confusion became evident in her expression. After all, there was just a fireplace in the living room.
The sofa was made from leather, but the feel of it didn't seem modern. It also didn't have that vintage look. The floor was made from marble, but the walls were stone.
There weren't any photos, electric sockets, tube lights, etc. that were part of a modern household. As she studied architecture, she realised that the home they were in didn't belong to the twenty-first century.
It also didn't feel like a redecorated castle from an olden era or a house following such a concept. It was just a commoner's house through and through, living in the times.
And right at this moment, she felt a prickling sensation on her hand when suddenly, the fog in her memories vanished, causing her to recall everything that had been wiped out from her mind by her Stigma.
Spring took a minute to gather her bearings as she stared at Iota with an incredulous gaze, whispering, "You…didn't…?"
"You're right." Iota grinned before motioning for her to maintain silence when the old lady exited the kitchen.
The old lady stared at Spring, "Are you fine, child? You seemed a bit ill before."
'I don't know this language.' Spring thought, 'It feels like a language from the middle east…or…no, I have no idea.'
Spring was of course unable to make sense of what the old lady said as she only stared blankly. Seeing her expression, the old lady approached her and touched her forehead, "You seem fine now."
She then pointed at the food and made an eating motion, "Eat."
'I was hungry!' Spring's face lit up in response as she began to eat the food. Though of course, her face scrunched up at the first morsel, for the food didn't suit her palette. There was an obvious lack of spice. Well, it didn't matter as she was hungry.
It was edible enough for consumption. She felt she could acclimate to the taste eventually.
'Are they unable to talk?' The old lady thought and took a seat, watching the two eat as she sighed, 'If they had been alive, my grandchildren would have been their age.'
She became emotional but strangely gained more strength to get up with vigour to refill their plates.
Once they finished eating, the old lady unhesitantly led them to a room and took out some clothes from the cupboard, giving them a pair each, "The clothes you are wearing are too big for you. Wear these for now."
Even though they couldn't understand her words, they could make sense of her gesture as Iota and Spring changed into the new set. While they were changing, Spring noticed Iota setting aside a small bag, intending to ask him later.
"It's late into the night now. Sleep here." The old lady pointed at the bed and made a sleeping motion, "We'll talk tomorrow."
Upon seeing the two obediently follow her instructions, the old lady stared at their figures for a few more seconds before she snuffed out the candle and headed to sleep in her room.
Iota got up slowly and inched forward, making his way to the entrance of the old lady's room as he peeked in a little, staring at her sleeping figure once his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He returned to the bed soon after and whispered to Spring, "We're in another world."
"Please don't pull my leg." Spring groaned, unable to trust him when suddenly, faint light filled the room as the tattoo of a golden syringe lit up on Iota's hand. "What's that?"
"Something I obtained when we arrived here," Iota said and condensed a syringe in his hand, causing it to vanish a few seconds later. Eventually, after an hour, he managed to convince her.
"What's in that bag?" She asked, pointing at the bag he slid in a gap, keeping it as obscure as possible.
"Our clothes." Iota said, "They stand out too much. Currently, the people that summoned us are trying to find us using that as a clue. That's why I changed our clothes before meeting the old lady."
"You…changed my clothes?" Spring realised only then that even her underwear had been swapped out, "Did you see me naked?"
"Don't sweat the small stuff." Iota flashed a thumbs-up in response.