The second night has begun, and Luminara is as lively as it was yesterday. Everyone seems to have fun.
The lanterns' lights spread across the streets, leaving a warmth in the night breeze as Umi and I walk through the town square, glancing at the decorations, the goods displayed on the stalls, and the night sky filled with colors sparkling once again with fireworks.
I spot a crowd covering a part of the town's square, "Over there seems to be a preference, wanna walk over and take a look?"
"Yeah sure."
We have planned to watch some performances, and see if we can get to eat some food and chat together.
As we move closer to the crowd, the melody of instruments and a woman's voice grows louder. We spot a singer playing a stringed instrument, accompanied by two other girls on flute.
The singer's voice is calm and relaxing, her voice is fantastic for a singer that's for sure, much more talented than most singers back in my world.
The song text is also very fitting for a night like this.
"She is amazing, it isn't something you hear every day."
"Yeah, her voice and the way it syncs with the instruments really suit the setting. It's calming," Umi replies.
"Yeah, I agree."
Her fingers move gracefully, almost as if dancing over the strings, filling the night with a beautiful melody.
As the music comes to an end, the crowd falls silent, they all seem to be deeply involved into the melody. I glance over at Umi who is watching the singer with a glow in her eye, a calmness, a relaxed look but still a touch of excitement, sparkling eyes with a soft smile curving her lips.
As the singer delivers her final notes and bows alongside the two flute players, the crowd applause, their cheers echoing through the square.
"Hey Umi, what do you think of getting something to eat?"
I have been waiting the whole night to try some new dishes, and the smell of new things lurking on the stalls we have been walking past has made me hungry even though we had dinner only a few hours ago.
"Sounds good to me, I do feel a bit hungry. There should be some taverns around here."
"Alright, do you have any idea were one could be?"
"uhh... maybe over there." She replies with a confused tone.
"okay, let's have a look."
As we walk towards the tavern, the stalls draw us in with their array of items, ranging from flowers and food to stones, swords and armor. As a former gamer these swords seems tempting, but I learnt in this world that it doesn't mater if I were to buy them, there is not any time for me to use them, not now at least.
Besides, I don't have the money. Still, they're amazing to admire.
I wounder if the day will come, when I will be buying things like that.
"Do you think I should buy that?" Umi ask, eagerly looking over a bunch of accessory, lingering her eyes over a par of jewelry, wanting to buy a par of purple earrings.
"It does look good, yes. Do you have the money?"
Last time she tried to buy a ring, she was so excited but quickly remembered it was way more expensive than she anticipated, and she hadn't brought enough funds. I wonder if she even remembers that now.
Umi's expression shifts to one of realization, her brow furrowing as if she's piecing together a puzzle. "Oh... well, no, I do not have the money for that. I only took money Enoch for food."
I suppress a smile at her whimsical forgetfulness; she always seems to get caught up in the moment.
"Oh, well you could always buy that tomorrow right, the festival is for 3 more days, hopefully no one else buys it though.
"I could see if I can buy it tomorrow, yes," she replies, her voice brightening, but I can tell her thoughts are already drifting to the next shiny thing that catches her eye.
After lingering at the stalls a bit longer, we make our way to the tavern, the warm scent of fresh food and drinks welcoming us as we near the corner.
As we approaching, a melody welcomes us into the warmth of the tavern, reminding me of my day with Rina and Yumiko on our day off.
The mood is just fantastic—the tavern folk lost in their drinks, a cheerful young singer lifts the room with her joyful tunes. The bartender, casually leaning behind the counter, sips his drink and cleans glasses, casting a satisfied glance over the bustling scene.
After ordering our food, we settle down at a table, first taking in the lively atmosphere. Once our meals arrive, though, we quickly fall into easy conversation across the table.
"Oh… this meat is amazing! And with this potato mash full of root vegetables, it just makes it even better. It's so—delicious," Umi says, looking as if she might melt from the flavors.
"Yes, I know, right? The meat is perfectly cooked, and the sauce brings out such a rich layer of flavors. I've never tasted a potato mash like this before—it's so good."
I can't remember the last time I ate something this delicious; it's just incredible.
"Yes, I believe it's called root mash," Umi says with a spark of enthusiasm in her eyes. "It's an older recipe that's been cherished in Luminara for many years. Unfortunately, the climate has changed too much for us to grow the ingredients locally now. But because it's such a beloved traditional dish, the Luminara kingdom sources everything from the northern countries just for this annual event." She leans in, her excitement evident as she adds, "I love how they keep these traditions alive, even if it means bringing in ingredients from far away!"
"Oh... I see. That makes perfect sense. I also think it's important to hold on to a kingdom's culture and traditions. Celebrating them, like with this event, is fantastic!" I reply, lifting my glass of sweetened milk—goat milk, I suspect—and taking a sip, enjoying its creamy texture.
"Really? I think so too, I mean what is a country with out it's own culture." Her eyes reflects the love she has for traditions.
"I totally agree, traditions are important."
This music, the young lady singing, that music resembles there Coulter in a way, it invites me to there kingdom. There has been so many new things, showing me the different between japan and this kingdom or this world in it's own. All of the people in Luminara are so kind and respectful, I don't feel like I would ever want to leave this place, it is my new home.
"Anyways, might I ask some, I have wondered, how much do you know about this world, or about Luminara?" I have been wanting to ask someone this for some time now, I just haven't found a good operation to ask before.
"Oh, I'm not really the best person to ask," she replies with a chuckle. "I mean, I know a bit, but not that much."
"That's fine. I'd just love to learn a little more, so please, tell me what you do know—if you wouldn't mind."
"Sure, I'd be happy to!" She takes a bite before continuing. "So, my basic information about this world—There is four continents, divided by the Astral azure. Astral azure is the great sea, and is the connector with every other sea and currents." She explain, she leans back in her chair, settling into her explanation.
I see, so the main sea is called Astral azure, it sounds cool, and sounds like having a long story behind it.
"There are sailors' tales about finding the Sea's Heart," she goes on, taking a sip of her milk. "It's said that the Sea's Heart is the source of this world's energy and could be the origin of mana itself. They say it has this magical appearance—a bright blue, almost otherworldly phenomenon."
This sounds interesting, I wounder if that story might be real, it does sound like it would make sense, having a scours were the mana comes from makes perfect sense.
"But, that is just a legend, no one really knows if it is true or not, it has been a legend for many years, but I like to believe it is real." She says with a satisfied, calm face.
"I see, that does sound interesting." I reply, reaching my hand towards my glass. "So that is why there are four continents, I see. Is there anymore, you know, some detail or something?"
"Yeah, sure. Do you know how our world was created?" she asks, pausing to take a bite of the root mash.
"No, I can't say I do. How was it created?"
"Alright, so first off, our world is named Septaria," she explains. "Septaria is named after the seven divine gods of our world. No one really knows exactly what these gods are, but we've learned that they're somehow… special. That's why our world carries their name."
"I see. Could you tell me a bit more about these gods before we get to the world's creation?"
"Oh, of course. Like I mentioned, we don't really know what these gods are—not fully, at least. But we do have some ancient tales and hints," she says, taking a sip of her milk and leaning back in her chair thoughtfully.
Damn, seven gods, legends about the sea… this world has so much to offer. Learning all these new things is starting to make me genuinely curious about what kind of place I've ended up in.
"The tales say that these gods are beings with physical forms. We know this mostly from ruins found in the North," she continues. "Inscriptions on some of these ruins speak of seven divine gods, with the suggestion that these gods are spread out across the world in physical form. Most of what we know has been pieced together from those inscriptions. But strangely, there's nothing written about what these gods look like."
Damn, wait too much is happening, ruins? I wanna know more about does, I wounder if they are dangerous in some way.
"What are these ruins like? Do they have anymore connections to the gods?" I ask curies.
"Oh... well I don't know that much, only the basics," She smiles.
"I see, that's fine, just tell me what you know please."
"Sure. These ruins are mostly scattered across the northern continent, Valenara. Some ruins have been found in the Deadlands, too, but beyond that, the other continents don't have many at all," she explains. "From what I know, the ruins are surrounded by a strange aura—a slight pull on one's sanity. It makes the inscriptions hard to read. Only a few people seem able to withstand it enough to make sense of the texts."
Okay, so they are dangerous in a way... Come too think of it. Fuck, only thinking about it makes a sharp nail of pain run thorough my skull. That shrine I saw in my dream, does that have anything too do with these ruins? I felt my sanity disappear, it is just as she explained kinda...
"That's about all I know about the ruins," she says, pausing for a moment. "But as for how the world was created, the tales say that the seven divine gods used their power to bring this world into existence. And that wasn't all—they're said to have created six other things, though no one knows what those things are… or if they even exist. Some believe these other creations could be as powerful as our world."
Her expression shifts, curiosity flickering across her face. It's like she wants to know more about this world as much as I do.
"Damn, I see, so seven gods created seven things in total and one of does things was this world, sounds interesting."
"Yes, that's what we've gathered from the ruins and other related findings," she replies.
"Got it. Thanks for sharing that."
She lets out a small, slightly awkward chuckle. "Well, that's about it. I don't know much more beyond that."
She always leaves a smile on my face when she does that—she's just so delightful, so unbothered by how she comes across.
The sound of crackling fire beside us casts a soft glow that flickers over her face. She takes a bit as her eyes closed slightly, savoring the taste, "Ahh," She leaves a soft sigh. "it's just so—good."
I smile as an agreement...
An older man's raspy voice peaked my interest... "...And then I swear, right before the ship sank to the depths of the sea, it rose up! Like it had a life of its own!" An sailors voice filled the tavern when telling his stories.
Some younger men glazed his way in excitement as he spook his words of his adventures.
"Think his telling the truth?" Umi whispered, a small smirk lingers on her lips as if she hopes it is real.
I chuckle before answering, "Maybe, or he just had a bit too much to drink..."
Umi and I shares a glance of amusement over the old sailor's tales.
We settle back, enjoying each other's company as the evening drifts on. We talk about all sorts of things, letting the warmth and peacefulness of the tavern wrap around us, savoring this quiet moment on festival night.