Recollections

In a small room that seemed capable of housing only a small number of personal belongings, the sound of gagged and raspy breaths could be heard. The breaths formed a strange and chaotic cacophony, similar in rhythm to someone who had escaped the chambers of the tumultuous sea and had finally found the respite of fresh air.

As the breaths began to steady themselves, the silhouette of a figure sitting upright on an old bed emerged, as if abruptly awoken from a harrowing nightmare.

The individual appeared drenched in sweat, their right hand resting on their forehead, evoking the image of an exhausted factory worker who had succumbed to the demands of daily labor. The state of the individual's clothing only helped to further reinforce this image.

The individual swiftly scanned their surroundings, their movements suggesting a sense of urgency as if searching for any sign of familiarity in their environment.

Their eyes reflected the image of a small reading table, crafted from ashen wood, positioned snugly against the wall beside the bed. Above it hung an ornate silver mirror, resembling a relic from older generations which was passed down from a previous owner, affixed to the adjacent wall. A small chair was carefully slotted under the reading table and there were numerous books stacked up neatly on one another, making it seem like a person had previously used this setting for some midnight reading the night before.

On the right side of the room, a small window welcomed the gentle morning sunlight, while opposite it, at the extreme end of the room, stood a weathered wooden door.

After noticing all this, the individual's figure seemed to visibly relax, signifying the immediate recognition of their surroundings. Amidst small, steady breaths, a singular thought surfaced in their mind.

'It seems like it was really just a dream…'

Elias had grown accustomed to periodic nightmares, stemming from his childhood guardian's enthusiasm towards tales of local folklore. Combined with a traumatic incident from a couple of years prior, some of Elias's dreams had become intensely vivid and frightening. However, none of his previous midnight hallucinations seemed to be as vivid and lifelike as this particular episode, prompting Elias to feel like he ought to pay attention to and run over all the details which were depicted within that blank and gray world.

'That child… I didn't notice it during my reverie since my concentration was wholeheartedly focused on the events that were transpiring around me… but why does that child seem so familiar to me, as if they were a long-lost sibling I've been yearning to reunite with?'

This feeling of familiarity didn't originate from nowhere, as Elias and the child seemed to share one sharp and distinct similarity: they both exhibited traits related to the domain of Life and Death!

For as long as he could remember, Elias had always thought of himself as being 'different' from other children his age. He possessed an uncanny affinity with plant and animal life, with creatures typically wary of people showing a surprising eagerness to approach and gather around him. Birds seemed to always chirp at his windows, using their melodious sounds to usher in the dawn of a new day, cats and dogs which disappeared from their households at night would inevitably be found snuggled up within his arms while he slept, and even flowers seemed to radiate a particular allure whenever he walked through the meadows and fields.

All these occurrences led the pastors and priests of the Lowe Parish of the Grace Church, who had raised and educated him throughout the years, to regard him as blessed by the deity they believed in. Some speculated he might be a reincarnation of past Archbishops or Cardinals of the church who had passed away, while others believed his pure mind and heart naturally won him favor in the eyes of Mother Nature.

But a common ground in all of these assumptions was the importance that the parish seemed to place on him, as they saw him as a potential clergyman of the church, provided he was properly nurtured and trained in accordance with their ideals and belief system. Their opinions of him were further solidified sometime after his 8th birthday when he seemed to develop the supernatural ability to heal wounds and injuries, which came off as an extreme shock and surprise to the church as a whole.

Even if his ability of healing was limited, the fact that an individual was capable of using divine healing before becoming an official clergyman of the church seemed to cause an uproar and sparked intense reactions within the upper echelons.

The attention and expectations on him were further increased, causing him to be guided unto the Path of Faith of the Benevolent Mother, which resulted in him becoming a pious follower of their creed.

'Life was quite easy back then… All I had to do was study the teachings of the Church for 2 to 3 hours every morning, followed by completing exercises on the introduction to Sexian Letters and numerals given to me by Sister Marie as well as some little chores in the kitchen and garden.'

As these soft and tender memories seem to drift into his head, causing a soft smile to play on his lips, Elias's gaze slowly drifted to a brass ornamental flute adorned with intricate floral patterns spiraling across its body as it lay gently at the side of his bed.

'I would then be allowed to spend the rest of my day however I pleased, which usually comprised of feeding the neighborhood cats and dogs, practicing the flute or simply taking leisurely strolls through the flower fields.'

Allowing the wave of nostalgia brought about by the memories of the past to overwhelm him, Elias stood up from his old and weathered bed and made his way to the front of the antique ornamental mirror, where his reflection gradually appeared before him.

The mirror showcased the image of a teenager, around the age of 17 or 18, with very handsome and sharp facial features which would lead any casual observer to assume that he hailed from a long-forgotten royal or noble family.

His eyes, sharp and deep, held a subtle softness born of fond memories. His well-proportioned, straight nose was complemented by distinct, sharp eyebrows which when put together, made his overall facial structure angular and well defined, causing him to exude an air of youthful masculinity. Strands of his long, raven-black hair cascaded messily across his face, while others were roughly tied into a bun at the back of his head.

Upon closer inspection, one would be able to discern a certain peculiarity about the state of his eyes: his right eye possessing a silvery gray hue, while his left eye bore a tone reminiscent of dark amber.

'Yes… life was indeed quite simple back then.'

'I honestly wish it always stayed that way… It would have been the best.'

'If only… if only 'That' didn't happen…'

As the thought seemed to settle in his mind, Elias's once gentle eyes narrowed in recollection of a dark memory, and his once radiant complexion turned pallid, indicating that whatever 'That' was, it was a memory he would prefer not to dwell on.

At the tender age of 15, when Elias should have been reveling in the glow of adolescence, tragedy struck. His primary guardian, and the presiding Deacon of the Lowe Parish of the Grace Church, met an untimely demise under inexplicable circumstances. This was like a mental and emotional blow to Elias, as the man was a major father figure to him and was the one that he accredited all his success and fortunes in life to.

Father Bernard had always seen the potential in Elias, even before he started to exhibit the traits of supernatural healing, and had always tried to support him. Coupled with the fact that he was the one who had found him at the church's entrance in a wooden pram, with nothing but a blanket woven out of flowers on that cold and faithful night 17 years ago, Elias had come to genuinely regard Bernard, the one he saw as his savior, as his true and genuine father.

That was why his sudden death seemed to shock and overwhelm the young teenager, plunging him into despair and sadness, which seemed to overcome his day-to-day life. Over time, Elias's once radiant countenance would fade, which caused an aura of aloofness to surround him, deterring most people his age from attempting to form personal connections with him, as they sensed his reluctance to engage in such relationships.

Elias would soon thereafter develop the ability to see and perceive soul and ghost-like entities, an ability that was speculated to have emerged as a result of the trauma surrounding Father Bernard's deaths. The mutation of his left eye which caused it to take on an amber-colored hue was also said to be a byproduct of the ability.

The Church, deeming any ability associated with the domain of death as sacrilegious and contrary to the doctrines of life, chose to distance themselves from Elias. While he wasn't directly expelled from the clergy, he also ceased to receive the same treatment and regard as he did before.

As these thoughts and memories ran through the head of Elias, his image in the mirror seemed to release a long and visibly deep sigh, which seemed to contain the weight of a lot of mixed and complicated emotions, his left hand running through his smooth and messy hair.

As he returned his gaze to the ornamental mirror, his eyes seemed to squint in partial understanding as he said to himself, 'It seems like my assumption of the similarity between me and that child isn't too far-fetched. Is this one of those dreams that seem to hint at a deeper meaning?'

'Or is this a prophetic mystery that I cannot seem to decrypt due to my limited knowledge on the topic of dreams and visions?'

At the mention of dreams and visions, Elias's gaze slowly drifted unto the pile of books which were neatly stacked upon his table, his face revealing the regret he felt at not having borrowed one of the books which were related to the topic from the Regional Library the day before. Shaking his head in an attempt to brush off the encroaching woe, Elias returned his face to the mirror, his brows furrowing slightly as he recalled an important detail he seemed to have overlooked.

'Why did I feel a certain type of… connection to that vast gray world? Like it was a scene solely made for me to see…'

'Also… what was with that eerie and cryptic text at the end that I could not understand? The language felt so foreign and magical to me at the same time.'

'And why do I strongly feel the need to swiftly decipher the text's meaning?'

Just as Elias was poised to delve deeper into the intricate mysteries concealed within that benign dream, a voice resonated in his mind, echoing a single sentence.

"Awake so soon?"