Tristan awoke at 6:30 am, feeling the familiarity of his old home stirring within him. Old habits drilled into him by his father resurfaced as he made his way down the hallway. He couldn't help but notice the temple's newfound shine and long-lost beauty. The hole in the roof was fixed, the overgrown weeds were cut, and the cracked stone walls were repaired. It truly felt like he was walking through the temple he had grown up in.
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After admiring the temple's transformation, Tristan found himself in the kitchen with Loraura sitting at the table.
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"Good morning, Tristan," Loraura greeted him with a smile.
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"Morning," Tristan replied, feeling a slight flush in his cheeks.
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"Breakfast is almost ready," Loraura announced as she got up from her seat and approached the stove, where a frying pan was sizzling with food.
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"Uh, thank you," Tristan said, taking a seat at the table, unsure what Loraura was cooking. "Uh, Loraura?" he began, peering out to the porch from the kitchen. "Does the temple look different to you?"
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"Yes," Loraura confirmed, turning to face Tristan. "I decided to restore this place last night."
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"Restore?" Tristan asked, intrigued.
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"Yes, by calling upon the First Father, the creator of time itself, I was able to restore this place to its former youth."
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"Wow, that's pretty amazing," Tristan remarked with a smirk. "And very convenient."
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"Thank you," Loraura said, bringing a plate of food to the table and placing it in front of Tristan before sitting down at the other end. "But I can't use that power too often."
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"Well, either way, this has made things easier," Tristan said with joy as he looked down at the bacon and eggs with a side of toast in front of him. "So great work."
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Loraura's smile grew wider as she heard Tristan's compliment, her eyes shining with gratitude.
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Tristan, filled with joy, silently began to eat his breakfast. He didn't expect Loraura to cook for him, since she hadn't been in this world for a long time, really she had only been in this word for around two days and yet cooking was amazing. He ate his food with joy, stuffing it all in his mouth like there was no tomorrow and yet there was one thing he wished he could change—the way Loraura would watch him eat.
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Loraura had already explained to him that she didn't have to eat food herself, so she would watch him with a smile on her face, not having anything better to do herself. In actuality yesterday was the first time Loraura had actually eaten any food after Tristan offered her half of his meal, since she helped make it. It was that thought that brought an idea to his mind.
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Tristan looked down at his plate, and an idea suddenly struck him. With a mischievous smirk, he grabbed a small piece of his toast and held it up in front of Loraura.
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"Here," Tristan offered with a kind smile.
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Loraura looked down at the piece of toast in Tristan's hands, staring at it as if it were an unknown foreign substance, her curiosity piqued.
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Loraura took the toast from Tristan's hand and held it in front of her mouth for a moment. Tristan continued eating, watching with tired eyes as Loraura studied the small piece of bread, slowly bringing it closer to her mouth before taking a bite.
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The sound of her teeth crunching into the bread filled the room, and as she chewed, her previously almost emotionless face became full of life and joy.
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"Delicious," Loraura exclaimed as she continued eating her meal.
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"So I take it that gods don't eat in the Unfettered Lands," Tristan remarked with a small giggle.
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After finishing her toast, Loraura looked up at Tristan with a few crumbs on her face, which he found cute. "No, that's not the case," she explained, taking a small napkin from the table to wipe her face clean. "Gods can and do eat, but we usually don't do such things for sustenance or pleasure."
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"What, then why?" Tristan asked, confused.
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"To ascend to the next level," Loraura replied, her voice barely above a whisper, her words falling on deaf ears to Tristan.
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"What?" Tristan asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
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"Tell me, Mr. Cunningham," Loraura said in a more formal tone than Tristan was used to. "What does this world feel like to you?" Loraura asked, scooting closer as if she was eager to hear Tristan's answer.
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"I'm sorry, I don't understand," Tristan admitted.
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"The way the sun feels on your skin," Loraura began again. "The way the grass feels underneath your toes, the way water fills your mouth, and the way food tastes against your tongue. How does it feel to you?" she asked once more.
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Tristan didn't know how to answer as he looked into Loraura's blue azure eyes, which were expecting a response. How could he answer such a question about things that felt so normal to him that he rarely even thought about them? It was as if these everyday experiences were suddenly transformed into an enigma of confusion, as if they were the hardest riddle to be solved.
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"I can see them," Loraura said, looking out the window. "I can see the very photons that make up the sun's glorious rays." She explained further, her voice filled with wonder. "If I were to walk on grass, I would be able to feel the very vibration of its molecules against my skin. Even with this table..." Loraura continued, looking down at the kitchen table, "I am able to feel and see every ridge on its surface."
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Tristan remained silent as he listened to Loraura's explanation.
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"Food is no different. I am able to taste every individual molecule," Loraura concluded, her tone thoughtful.
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"To gods, it's not about enjoying things we consider small, but trying to understand them, why they do the things they do," Loraura said, lost in thought.
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"Well, uh, for someone who doesn't eat, you sure are a great cook," Tristan remarked, moving on from what seemed like a serious topic to Loraura.
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Loraura smiled as she turned her gaze back to Tristan. "I'm a fast learner," she said, not offering further explanation.
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Tristan couldn't help but wonder who had taught her to cook since she had been here. "A fast learner, indeed," he thought to himself as he continued eating.
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"Well, I guess I'll have to find out later," Tristan decided, setting aside his curiosity for the moment as he focused on finishing his meal.
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Tristan soon got up from the table, his plate empty and his stomach full. With a smile, he looked over at Loraura, who was still busy eating her single piece of toast.
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"Thanks for the food," he said, carrying his plate to the kitchen sink and rinsing it.
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"Well, I guess it's time to go to work," Tristan said, glancing at the clock on the wall.
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"Work?" Loraura asked.
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"Yeah, I work at a small antiquities shop run by a family friend," he said with a smile. "It's a good job. A job I'm going to be late for if I don't hurry," he added, looking at the clock again before rushing back to his room.
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"Um..."
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Tristan stopped and looked back at Loraura, who had stood up from the table, looking at him with a concerned expression.
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"Can I come with you?" she asked, a small, worried smile appearing on her lips.
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"Uh..."
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"I can't come?" Loraura asked, her smile disappearing.
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"N-no... You can," Tristan said, waving his hands frantically. "It's just that I have a lot of explaining to do."
***
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Author notes: Please support my work on Patreon for early access to new chapters. https://patreon.com/DarkMatteromniverse
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