Big trouble with little Aclysia Part 1 - Crossing a Street [Aclysia Side Story]

Aclysia felt the euphoria of her master through their connection. She knew that feeling; he most likely had engaged in intercourse with Mistress Rave. It made her core twitch a little whenever she was left out of such activities. From what she understood that feeling was described as envy, although she wasn’t completely sure. She was never completely sure about any emotion aside from happiness. It was pretty clear to her when she was happy when she was happy she didn’t think as much, her body felt lighter and the day seemed brighter.

Speaking of bright days, the sun was finally completely visible again. She looked at it without much care as she stood on the street corner, waiting for traffic light to switch from red to green. “Ehm, hello.” A nervous voice from the side. Aclysia turned her head to see a familiar face. Slightly familiar at least.

She smiled faintly as she was able to recall memories clearly thanks to her master’s latest improvements. She saw the young man that had been talking to Jimmie in the hospital last week. She didn’t know his name; she did not have that ‘Observe’ Ability of her master after all. Thinking of Jimmie suddenly pulled her mood down again. She wondered why.

“I greet you.” Aclysia said with a courtly bow, “What can I do for you?” “Do for me?” The Apothecary was startled, “No, no, sorry, I just wanted to tell you to not look at the sun for so long.” He pointed at his face, “It is bad for the eyes.” Aclysia made a surprised “Oh.” It hadn’t been on her mind, but the man was correct. Biological types like humans were advised to not look at the sun without protection. “Thank you for your concern.” She bowed again, deeply this time. This startled the man, and he waved his hands in a downplaying gesture. “Oh no, it is just – Uhm – my duty as a fellow human! Yes!”

She looked to her right and saw that the streetlight had switched during their conversation. She made a step towards the street. “Wait, uhm.” The young man remembered something and rummaged in a green bag he wore over his shoulder. Aclysia stopped to look at him and then back at the traffic light. It had switched back to red, and the last people were clearing the street. She had the time. “I will wait.” She therefore stated.

The man gave him a thankful smile, and he pulled out sunglasses, handing them to her. “If you like looking at the sun so much these should help.” He explained with a gracious smile. Aclysia hesitatingly took them. The Internet regularly talked about not taking gifts from strangers. This man seemed nice, however. She turned them in her hands and put them on.

The world was now several shades darker, and she looked at the sun again. Was this the light humans were comfortable with? Confusion spread inside her. “If you don’t mind me asking could you tell me if Jim is okay?” The man asked as Aclysia kept looking around. She barely noticed the traffic light jumping to red again. She was getting delayed in her time plan. From the feeling that swept through her mental connection to John however she knew that he was still occupied. There was no need to hurry to a level that would endanger traffic rules.

A single car passed them, the first moving one she had seen in minutes, as Aclysia wondered why she suddenly felt sad again. “Jim as in reference to Jimmie?” Aclysia checked before she made any unnecessary comments. “Ehm, yes, Jim Johnson. You might not remember, but I was his caretaker and we kind of bonded over the two days he was actually awake and had to stay.” Aclysia did remember that clearly, thanks be to her master again, but interrupting him would intercept his flow of words. She would never do such a thing. “He seemed really distressed over something too, so I was wondering how he was doing.” “I don’t know how his current mood is. I last heard Jimmie last Friday at the funeral of Travolta.” She looked around to make sure nobody was listening right now, her master had made it very precise to not talk about the other side while normal people were listening, “He decided to leave the Abyss back then.”

“Oh.” Now it was the young man’s turn to make that sound. He looked at her with compassion. Was she looking sad right now? Her lips were pulled down slightly, and apparently, her head had sunk slightly. Yes, if she analysed how she stood right now she must have looked sad. Why was she sad?

“Why am I sad?” She asked as the traffic light turned green. If there had been cars, they would have waited for it to change back. Aclysia herself waited for an answer to present itself. She hadn’t been sad at the funeral why would she be sad now. “Because you will never see a friend again.” The young man said.

Memories welled up. Jimmie how he looked with interest at her when they had been in his workshop, and she had wondered what Wisdom is. Jimmie who had given her parts of arcane steel from his own resources when her master had run out of stuff to give her. Jimmie, the giant, calling her fascinating before handing her a screw.

Her shaded vision became blurry. ‘Likely another effect from the glasses.’ She deduced and took them off. The blur stayed, however, and she felt something wet running down her cheeks. Had she ever been this sad? “What is this?” She wanted to know, the question was aimed at nobody in particular, and so the only person around answered. “You are crying.”

Impossible. Just because it matched all the described symptoms didn’t mean that she was crying. She wasn’t even capable of crying. She had never done that before. “I am not real; I can’t cry.” She argued despite herself. The young man looked very confused, both by the news and the situation. “You look real to me.” He blurted out in confusion and took her hand, “Feel the part too.”

“You don’t understand.” She sobbed and rubbed the view obstructing water from her eyes. “My Creator made me; I am not real.” “No, you are real, you were just born a different way.” The Apothecary said with certainty. “I have never felt like this before.” She stated.

Then she understood. The reason why she hadn’t felt sad at Travolta’s ****, at his funeral or at Jimmie’s announcement to leave was because she hadn’t remembered. She hadn’t known. There was little reason to be sad about a person you didn’t know, but now she finally realised. These memories she had with Jimmie and Travolta. These were the only ones she would ever have. There would be no new ones.

‘It is not about him. It is about the ones he leaves behind to find an end. To have certainty in the fact that even without him the world will turn, just…without him.’

Aclysia ripped herself away from the young man and started running. She ignored the green traffic light in front her of her and turned left, crossing a side-street instead. Through her blurred vision she saw next to nothing, but she had trodden this part of town dozens of times already, finding her way there wouldn't be hard.