“If you’re sure… Oh, oh my! Follow me I have just the thing!” Cirice says, letting him go and hurrying over to her wagon where Hitia eyes the yokai suspiciously.



“Welcome to Mother Moon’s Mystical Flying Library! Please, have a seat at my kotatsu!” She offers him a floor cushion and casts Grand Feast on the table, filling it with all her favorite foods from the Isles and Charon all over¹. “Allow me to help at least a little. I’m not rich but I can at least give you some solars. Maybe a map… Hm…” She looks around the library, picking through her trinkets and trying to find anything that might be helpful to him.

“I really do want to help however I can, Oji-chan…”

---

1 Grand Feast

He figured it wouldn't hurt to follow her wherever she was taking him. She was eager to help him after finding out his story, and he didn't have it in him to refuse whatever she was offering now. Only now did he notice the wagon that had been parked nearby, just beyond a bit of the thick bamboo that hid it from his immediate notice.

Yasei returned the strange reindeer's suspicious glare. It looked a lot spookier than something he would have expected the young girl that wanted so badly to help him to have pulling her wagon. Maybe this thing was considered cute now, who knew? A lot could have changed while he was petrified.

He looked around at the inside of the wagon. He'd never seen a moving library before! Wait, did she say flying? And who was Mother Moon? Was that what she called herself? Hadn't she introduced herself as Cirice?

He nodded and took a seat at the low table, comfortably sliding his legs into the warmth beneath it. He was surprised by the food suddenly appearing, magically conjured up across the top of the kotatsu.

"Oh! This is some impressive magic. Are you a sorcerer too? It's not an illusion, right?" He asked, picking up a piece of sushi off the table and feeling it was indeed real. "Thanks for the meal!" He said jovially before tossing the piece into his mouth happily.

He gratefully accepted the food and continued to eat, listening to Cirice speak as he did so.

"That's alright, Ojou-chan. This is plenty of help already. I'm a strong warrior. I'll be fine. I'm sure I can find some work in town." He said between bites. "Oh, can you tell me, is the town that was just a bit west of here still there?"

“I'm a mage, but mostly I’m a cleric!” Cirice says proudly as he eats. “A cleric of Mother Moon, or Lunala as you might know her. Mother Moon grants me power to help people in need and in exchange I spread her faith and try to do as much good as I can!”

She puts her hands together and gives thanks for the meal and eats a bit of sashimi herself, “I think there is a town west of here, though I’m not sure how big it is because I flew over it. You look like a strong warrior Oji-chan, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to help. But I understand wanting to make your own way. When I first started adventuring I didn’t have much coin and I helped people and healed the sick as I traveled in order to get food and lodgings. I’m sure since you were a guard before you’ll have no trouble finding new work. Just promise me if you ever need help you’ll go to Shingetsu and ask for the Tsukinaga family.”

"Oh, I see! Mother Moon is just a new name for Lunala. That makes more sense." Yasei said with a hearty laugh. Of course, that made a lot more sense than Cirice calling herself by Mother Moon. She did seem nice, maybe even motherly, but it just didn't seem very fitting for her. It fit Lunala much better. Yasei wasn't a follower of Lunala, his family had always been more focused on Solaria, but he didn't mind others following her. "I didn't take you for a a cleric, but that makes sense too, being able to heal me from my petrification and being so kind to a stranger. Mhm, you really are a godsend!" Yasei joked, laughing heartily again.

"The Tsukinaga Family in Shingetsu. Mm, I'll keep that in mind." He said with a nod. He'd have to remember that just in case he found himself in a serious jam, but he hoped he wouldn't need to bother Cirice and her family again. He already felt like a burden, just making her feed him like this. He hoped he could pay her back some day for her help. "Ooh, you're a cleric and an adventurer?"

With the food finished, and Yasei having eaten enough to feed two people, he felt stuffed. He let out a satisfied sigh.

"That was a great meal. I wish I could learn such a handy spell, but I'm afraid I've never been good with magic like that. I'm much better at fighting than spellcasting."

“Yep, I travel around trying to help people as much as I can. I have a lot of friends as well who are also adventurers doing good all over! And I’m in the Mage’s Guild too.” Cirice says with a bashful smile, “I could try to teach you, if you want. Gerhart and Cyran taught me a little about fighting to, but I’m not that good.”

“I don’t think I want to buy this ruin after all, I’ll probably head out soon. Would you like a ride anywhere? My wagon flies!” Cirice isn’t really sure how she can help much more but she wants nothing more than to do whatever she can, but her power isn’t strong enough to time travel him back to his friends and family… “It was really nice to meet you Oji-chan, I hope we can be friends for a long time.”

"Hoh, that's impressive. I've never heard of the Mage's Guild, but it sounds mighty fancy." Yasei chuckled. He'd never heard of The Mage's Guild before. Maybe they were new, but he wouldn't be surprised if he'd just never heard of them even if they did exist back then. He wasn't very interested in that kind of thing.

"Don't worry, I don't think you'd be able to teach me anyways. I'm not much of a mage. I'll be fine without it." He added, shaking his head. He wouldn't want to waste her time trying fruitlessly to tach this old dog a new trick.

Yasei got back to his feet and stretched his arms and neck.

"Mm, I should head out too. Thanks for the offer, but I think it'd be good for me to take a walk. I'm feeling a bit stiff after being a statue for so long. If the town West of here is the same one as before, I know my way there." He said as he turned and stepped out the back door. He turned to look back through the open door.

"Ah, I wouldn't recommend buying this place either. It's best feature got up and walked away!" He joked with a loud, boisterous belly laugh.

"Of course, Ojou-chan. Friends for life!" He said with a big smile. "Thanks for your help. Let's meet again some time. I'll treat you to some good food! I know some great places. Ah, I wonder if they still exist... Well, I'll find new ones!"

“Really? I figured they’d been around a long, long time… Hmmm…” Cirice wonders aloud, “Okay, well if you ever need someone to cast a spell for you, I’m happy to assist!”

She watches him stretch with a smile, nodding her understanding. “I suppose stretching your legs will be really good for you.” she giggles, “Oh yes you were by far the best feature of this place, my friend! For sure, I’ll show you all of my favorite places and we can make new favorites together too! OH you should visit the Blixt Cafe! Theres on in Starlight City now! Tell them you know Cirice and Veliky will probably want to question you.”

She gets up and gives him a hug. “Take care Oji-chan, I’m glad I met you!”

Yasei chuckled as Cirice gave him another hug and lightly put his hand on her back to return it. This girl sure did like giving hugs. It reminded him of his daughter, which sent a pang of sadness through his heart and made his smile falter for a moment. Luckily, Cirice couldn't see that with her face over his shoulder. He put his cheerful smile back on as they finished their hug and separated.

"Mm, I'll check out this Blixt Cafe if I go there. Take care, Ojou-chan. I'm glad I met you too. If I hadn't, I'd still be a statue!" He laughed and started walking away, waving to Cirice over his shoulder. He wasn't sure what a Blixt was, or who Veliky might be. They both sounded a bit odd. Just another new thing he needed to learn about. The idea of just how many new things he needed to catch up on since being petrified threatened to give him a headache! Flying wagons with skeletal reindeer, and Mage's Guilds, and Blixt Cafes. Hoo boy. Studying was not his strong suit.

He waved as he watched the wagon lift up into the air and fly off, the weird reindeer in front also flying and pulling it along. With a quick regaining of his bearings, looking at what was left of the ruined mansion, he figured out which direction to head in. The path that had been there before was long gone, so he unsheathed the long blade within his staff and began to cut through the bamboo to clear himself a path. The blade cut through the bamboo with incredible ease.

It didn't take long for him to reach the town. It was still there, where it had been what felt like just yesterday to him, but there were so many differences. Stores and houses were different. Probably all torn down and rebuilt over time. He didn't recognize anyone anymore. It was practically a whole new town, just with the layout of the streets mostly the same. No one greeted him as he walked by.

He made his way through the town to a specific place. He just hoped it was still there. Thankfully, it was. He walked through the gates and past the stone shrines in the cemetery until he found the one belonging to his family. There were a lot more names there than he remembered. His wife's name. His daughter's name. And next to his wife's, was his own name.

He wasn't even sure if he could have hoped they were still alive. It'd been far too long. There was no way they were. But even still, it didn't hit him as hard as it did now, seeing their names on the gravestone. Yasei fell to his knees, a hand over his eyes as the tears started flowing and his breath rattled.

On the grave, there were more names that he didn't recognize. Were these his grandkids? A son or daughter in law? Had his daughter gotten married and had a family of her own, and he'd missed it all? Did his wife remarry, or did she die lonely? He didn't know which possibility felt worse. Did he make them cry like he was now?

"I'm sorry." He choked out through his tears.