"What's your home like, Lafayette?"
I tensed up.
Jashen raised an eyebrow. "Lafayette?"
I glanced at her with a side eye, should I tell her? Eh, I guess there's no harm in it.
"It was a blur mostly, the days seemed to blend into one another. I never left our mansion so I'd see the same thing every day."
I leaned forward.
"There was one person my world revolved around, a woman named Lilith Dumica Tide. She was my so-called mother, but she felt more like a warden with a short fuse."
I tightened a fist.
"I had no friends either, I didn't need them. Well, I had a fiancée, a girl named Meridian."
I shook my head and clenched my jaw.
"It's been so long I forgot the sound of her voice."
A pause.
"All because Lilith decided she was the only woman I ever needed. And to prove her point she stranded me on the demon continent."
I released my fist with a long sigh.
"It was there that I learned she was right. This world, no matter how much beauty you find in it, ugliness is always right around the corner."
I turned to face Jashen.
"You could have a million cookies and all it takes is one person deciding they want them too. You need to be strong, stronger than everyone else so that you can't be hurt."
My voice softened.
"That's the lesson I learned."
Jashen was quiet for a long time after that.
Long enough for the sun to have fully risen.
"That's really depressing," She finally replied.
I nodded. "That's what the truth is, it's hurtful, sad, and real. It's not nearly as comforting as a delusion."
Jashen shook her head.
"No, the truth doesn't always hurt. It is supposed to keep you going, to keep you alive. It's not supposed to remove you from reality."
"Hm?"
"Your truth, it's like those dwarven automatons. You keep moving, but you feel nothing. You're not alive, you exist."
I nodded.
"That's the point, this life is pointless."
"You can't really believe that, there must be something you want."
A deep silence filled the air between us as I stared out into the ocean. The truth was that I did believe that. But contrary to my beliefs, there were still a few things I wanted.
Peace was at the top of that list.
"You know what I want?" I asked.
"Honey?" Jashen answered hopefully.
I smiled at her. "I want a certain beast person to stop being so damn clingy."
Jashen puffed out her cheeks. "Oh, you're just a real jester."
I chuckled softly. "Hey, that's my line."
She covered her mouth and laughed, before she rested her head in my lap. "I never heard you say it." She looked up at me with half-lidded eyes.
My heart thumped.
Damn, that's a beautiful sight…
I reached a hand to scratch behind her ear.
She closed her eyes and pressed her face against my stomach.
My shoulders dropped and my gaze as I felt her warmth and the softness of her fur. "You shouldn't get attached to me, Jashen."
She hummed softly against my stomach. "Too late."
I sighed deeply, I guess this isn't so bad.
No one said my last moments had to be miserable. Besides, she wouldn't listen anyway.
— — —
About thirty minutes Jashen shot up from my lap and sniffed the air. "Oh, breakfast is ready!" She scrambled to her feet and took off.
She stopped in her tracks about halfway and rushed back to me and took my hand. "Come on!"
Her grip was tight enough to keep me close without causing pain—the kind of grip you give a balloon.
Back inside the mansion Jashen led me into the dining hall where maids were setting up the table.
Jashen pulled out my chair and sat me down before she took her seat next to me. Her tail wagged with excitement as a maid set down a tray with a smile.
"No eating until everything is at the table." She said with a thick accent and a warning finger.
Jashen nodded with deadly seriousness.
It wasn't long before Sofia arrived with two guards. She sat across from us, dressed in simple clothes with a bored expression.
The two of us locked eyes and she raised an eyebrow. "What is it? Do not stare if you have nothing to say, it's unnerving."
I tilted my head.
Originally I didn't have anything to say, I wasn't even looking at her at first. But now I do have a question.
"How?" I asked, "How do you guys manage to create such advanced technology? I've never seen anything like it."
These guys had working, autonomous robots. When I died in my old life we still hadn't reached that point.
Sofia sighed deeply. "Ah, do you know about the Tech priests? They are responsible."
"But how?"
"Yeah, how?" Jashen chimed in.
Sofia reclined in her chair and crossed her arms.
"Long ago a dwarf that would eventually become the first tech priest, found a temple. He went inside sane and came out insane."
She waved a dismissive hand. "He rambled about blueprints and crystal manipulation. No one but the priests knows what he saw, but they're all insane too. Still, tech is tech, no?"
Well, that was a little disappointing.
Jashen nodded in agreement with Sofia. "My favorite thing is the bath you made. Warm water on demand is the best!"
Sofia grinned. "Ah, I second that. There is nothing like a warm bath after a long day."
Eventually, a servant brought around the last tray of food, and we were now allowed to dig in.
My plate was filled with fluffy, scrambled eggs. Thick slices of bacon and toasted bread.
Alongside a glass of milk.
I picked up my fork and dug in.
The food was good, better than anything I've eaten for a long time. I had cleaned my plate before even Jashen could get halfway done.
Everyone at the table stared at me in silence and I gulped down my milk.
"Did… did you even taste it?" Jashen asked with wide eyes. "You're going to get a tummy ache."
"It's fine." I set my glass down and licked my milk mustache.
Jashen began to make me another plate without asking. Meanwhile, Sofia was now staring at me.
"I thought you said that was rude."
She nodded.
"Yes, but I do have something to say. Before the civil war, there was talk of a powerful human with a water affinity that crossed the border."
"Okay?"
"The reports say you destroyed an iron hound on your way in, is that true?"
I nodded.
She chuckled.
"Ah, you know those things are nearly impossible to kill. We dwarves can't use magic like you elves and humans. So we use our technology to level the battlefield."
"Here, Lafayette." Jashen handed me another plate. I began to eat as I responded. "You can't use magic, like at all?"
"No, well… tech priests are overflowing with Ouro, but it has no element and is used to power machine gods."
I blinked.
"Machine gods?"
What the hell is that?
"It's the peak of dwarven engineering, machines so powerful they require a living spirit to power them, or even multiple."
"Have humans ever fought against one?"
Sofia nodded.
"Once there was a war between us and a smaller human kingdom."
She pointed a finger at me.
"In that time, humans were all about themselves. And this one kingdom decided it would try to steal our land to get an upper hand against its neighbor."
"They invaded, we asked them to leave, they ignored us and so we attacked." Sofia smiled with pride.
"Their mages were useless against our overwhelming firepower."
She tightened a fist.
"We defeated them so thoroughly that it caused chaos in the human realm and led to the Creation bloodline taking over royal duties for most human kingdoms."
The creation bloodline? "You mean the humans with the white eyes and hair?"
Sofia nodded. "Yes, before that, they kept to themselves in their little empire."
So all the big human kingdoms have royalty of the same bloodline? I guess that explains the lack of wars between humans.
The empire made sure that wouldn't happen.
Jashen tilted her head curiously. "Have the humans and dwarves ever fought after that?"
"No," Sofia answered.
"After that, the federation and the empire signed an agreement of understanding and that was that."
She gestured a finger around the mansion.
"However, this kingdom has been sending its royal blades into the federation. They steal our technology and sell it to the rest of the human realm. I loathed them for it at first, but soon learned there was great profit to be made."
She grinned without a hint of shame.