Auren woke up in the same room, same ceiling same rusted nails, he got up, still confused and dazed from the vertigo, he walked over to the broken mirror, still the same body, green eyes surrounded by red, black hair.
"was that just a dream..." he thought to himself "no.. it couldn't have been"
looking down to his hands, on the left hand appeared a tattoo like mark in the shape of an eye "was that always there?" he mutters.
Irena enters through the squeaking front door "Auren did you find the bakery?" she says
"yeah... got 4 loafs, that okay?" he replies calmly
Auren walks over to the bathroom to wash his face, treading on the squeaking wooden floor and through the old door frame, over to the rusted old sink "is this the price for going to that place?" he thinks to himself, as he wipes the blood from his face.
"Auren? where did you go?" Irena asks loudly, but the noise is drowned out by the loud drip of water running into the dirty old sink.
there are only three rooms in that house, the kitchen, the bedroom that Auren and Irena share and the bathroom.
Auren finishes washing up, and heads out into the bedroom where Irena is staring at the mirror, eyes open wide, as if trying to get inside the mirror.
"what are you doing?" Auren says unnerved by the sight.
"do you remember this mirror?" she askes, but before Auren gets a chance answer she continues "its the one mother got for us"
"i don't..." he responds, a look of pity in his eyes "could you tell me about our family?" he asks, expecting her to just brush him off again.
but no, instead she looks up at him, with a kind almost pitiful smile and says "sure"
she walks over to the bed past Auren, and takes a seat on the edge of it "come sit, this might take a while" she says gesturing to a spot next to her on the bed.
"ill start with stark" Irena said "he's our older half-brother, he moved to Eryndale for a job opportunity, he's been sending money to us monthly for us to pay rent and buy food, other than that we don't have contact with him" she said with an ashamed look.
"and then there is mother and father, father was killed by a drunk man 3 years ago, and since he was the main financial supporter for the family mother ate less and less, while giving her portions to us, starving herself to death about 2 years ago...." Irena says looking at her knees, a tear welling up in her eyes.
Auren couldn't bring himself to say anything—couldn't even comfort her. for the first time since arriving in this world, he felt truly helpless.
"shit..... what should i say, what can i say?" Aurens mind was racing, trying to think of anything to say, anything to change the subject.
meanwhile in the holy capital of Eryndale.
a silver haired girl sits down with a book and a cup of dark coffee, as she pinches the bridge of her nose, thoughts pacing, trying to prove what she experienced was a dream.
"libra" a strange voice seemed to call out to her in the silence of the library, it didn't sound human.
she turns to find no-one, the library is empty, halls lit by lanterns, the fancy book shelving's.
as she scans through the book on astrology and outer gods, but as much as she tried she couldn't find anything on the one called Ophiuchus. "just what was that, it felt to real to be a dream" she says softly to herself.
"So I'll have to wait until tomorrow…" she muttered, her fingertip tapping a slow rhythm against the old wood, as she looks up at the stars "Fine." she says looking down on the streets of Eryndale lit by lanterns of bronze and gold.
meanwhile, elsewhere...
in a quite farming village, far west of the holy capital, a man in his late twenties, laid down on the soft lush grass, eyes gazing up at the stars through strands of blonde hair.
"just what the hell was that..." he says to himself chuckling in disbelief, as he reaches out his left hand, like a child trying to grab the moon.
"Aries" he said under his breath "what a joke"
"maybe the old man knows something about it" he mutters and he presses his hand back on the grass in order to get back up.
"who are you calling old man?" a harsh deep voice says behind him.
Aries stumbles back in surprise "ah shit, you startled me" he yells as the man lets out a deep hearty laugh
behind him stood a man looking to be at least sixty in age, broad shoulders and a giant stature that had to be at least 7 foot, he stood there chuckling to himself as he rubbed his long grey beard with his fingers.
"geez... c'mon lets go inside, its not good for someone like you to stay out in the cold" aries says, having a jab at the older man. while gesturing towards a old wooden cabin, smoke bellowing out of the chimney.
you could feel the temperature change as soon as you stepped through the door frame "nice and toasty in here" Aries comments as he sits down on a wooden stool his mood shifting serious.
"do you know anything of a thirteenth constellation" he says tone sharp, eyes locked onto the old man.
"nope" he says almost as soon as the question was raised, "never heard of there being a thirteenth" he says looking a bit intrigued and confused