Arcturus Mercury, Seven Years Old (Arcturus Arc Part 2)

The recently lit room helped Arcturus see that there was a bed that had two children sitting on it–a boy and a girl. The boy had unkempt scarlet hair and the girl had straight auburn hair; there was an age gap between the two as the boy was much older than the girl. They both looked at Arthur with disappointment.

"Can we stay up a little bit more, Dad? I'm trying to help Ariel tell an apple and a book apart!"

"What book are you reading, Arc?"

"The Apple Tree Library!"

Arthur chuckled. "You can't help but to enjoy a classic children's story, can't you?"

The young Arcturus pouted. "I'm teaching Ariel how amazing books are!"

"Books!" A young Ariel yelled out in her childish lisp.

Their father chuckled again. "I understand your actions, but kids should be sleeping around this time. Get to bed."

As the young Arcturus closed the picture book and placed it on the nightstand, a thought came to him as he grinned. "Dad, will you read us a story to bed, then?"

His proposal surprised his father. He sighed as he gave in. "Alright. Pick a story."

The young Arcturus cheered as he rushed towards the bookshelf that was on the opposite side of the nightstand. The young Ariel trailed behind him like a baby duck following its mother.

The sight of his younger self looking at the bookshelf was nostalgic to Arcturus. His love for books and such came from his father, a Laminan man who moved to Plasma for research. He always remembered loving books growing up. He couldn't help but give a slight smile at his younger self; he was seven in this memory while Ariel was two.

"Let's pick this book, Ariel!" The young Arcturus took out a rather worn out book. When the boy had turned around, the current Arcturus took the chance to see his childhood self's face. Arthur, Ariel and Arcturus all had the same eye color. Ariel shared a resemblance with Arthur that Arcturus did not.

"Dad, read us this book!"

Arthur adjusted his glasses. "A Collection of Souhait's Lore? This isn't suitable for children."

"You said you'd read anything we want, so we want you to read that! Please?"

"Please!" Ariel repeated.

"Alright. Alright. Hop onto the bed and I'll read a few passages."

When approaching the bed, Arcturus first helped Ariel up and then he climbed up after. He tucked his sister first before doing it to himself. They both stared at Arthur, pressuring him to grab a nearby stool to sit down next to the bed.

"Do you have any passages you want me to read aloud to you?" Arthur asked as he placed the book on his lap.

"Can you read the part where Souhait first grants a wish to a human?"

"Alright." He placed a finger to his tongue and then started opening the book. The current Arcturus fretted when his father opened the book. The book was so old and worn that he worried about the bindings falling off, even though he knew it did not. He glanced over at Nova who looked at him with curiosity.  He cleared his own throat and started explaining. "That book is a very old and rare copy of the lore written by the Loreseer, the person who preserved his legacy. I believe it's one of the few original copies left in the world. Father once told me he had paid a hefty price just to get his hands on it."

Nova seemed surprised. "I'm surprised that the original copies still live on." His visage lit up with a small smile. He looked away from Arcturus and muttered, "Thank goodness."

Arcturus heard his words. He wasn't sure if it was the right time to ask questions, so he remained silent. He kept his eyes on the scene in front of him.

Arthur got to the requested page quickly. The current Arcturus squinted and noticed that some of the page corners were folded; he had always wondered how his father had turned the pages so quickly during his childhood, but he now knew. Learning small details from his past felt fascinating.

Arthur read out loud, "When Souhait was scouting the planet, he had encountered a father with a sickly child. The child had an incurable disease and would not live past adolescence. Worried sick, he begged for Souhait to cure his child. The father was a pure-hearted man who cared deeply for his wife and children, so Souhait had sensed his genuine emotions. He had granted his wish—his child became healthy. Because of this news, this was how Souhait became relied upon for wishes. They had revered him as a wish-granting deity."

The older Arcturus was excited to listen despite knowing what this excerpt was all about. The book wasn't for young children's reading criteria. He didn't know what it had meant until he got older, but he remembered liking his father's tone when reading; as a child, asking his father to read stories to him was an excuse for him to listen to his voice. Hearing his father narrate a passage of the lore caused his eyes to glisten. The feelings he had for the lore as a child has not changed at all.

Nova chuckled. "You sure like the lore."

The current Arcturus couldn't contain his overflowing passion. "But this is the part about the Progenitor! The statue with Souhait and the human facing each other was about the Progenitor, right?"

Nova hummed. "I'm surprised you deduced that so quickly."

"Souhait was so benevolent! Out of all the people in Terrenter at the time, he managed to find a father and decided to grant his wish specifically! This is proof that wishes are important! They can bring happiness!" Realizing that he was being too excited, Arcturus clammed up; it was slightly embarrassing.

Nova looked at him with flushed cheeks. "If you keep praising Souhait like that, I'm going to be sweating due to the heat." Because he had such fair skin, the redness on his face was very noticeable to the point that he was fanning himself with his hands. Arcturus wondered why Nova was reacting shyly when he was praising Souhait; he wasn't praising him at all.

Arthur noticed his son's gaze on him. He smiled and ruffled his hair. The older Arcturus tried to recall his father's warm hand, but he couldn't. He could not remember how warm his hand was. It had been too long.

"Arc, do you believe in wishes?" Arthur spoke gently and quietly in order to not wake Ariel up.

"I do!" The young Arcturus immediately clammed up as he peered over his sleeping sister. She was sleeping soundly.

Arthur smiled. "Then, if you had just one wish, what would it be?"

His question caused the younger Arcturus to become deep in thought. The current Arcturus wondered what his younger self had thought of at the time–he could not recall his thoughts from long ago. He felt Nova's hand sliding into his. Once Nova's fingers linked with his, thoughts that weren't his own resonated within his mind.

I've got so many wishes. His younger self thought. I wish for Dad to come home more often. I wish for Mom to not tire herself out from work. I wish for Ariel to always be her cheery self. There are so many wishes. How can I pick one?

Arcturus felt a chill down his spine. He could hear his younger self's thoughts all of a sudden. He wondered if Nova connecting his hand with his own made it possible. If so, what purpose did he have?

The more he kept listening to his younger self's thoughts, he became fascinated. This was how his mindset had worked as a child. He was once a pure child full of endless curiosity and wants, but he no longer felt that way as an adult; it was as if that purity was taken away once adulthood came.

After much pondering, the younger Arcturus blurted out, "I wish for Dad to come home more often. If you did, Mom wouldn't be so tired from work and Ariel would smile a lot brighter." He grinned.

The current Arcturus wondered if he had felt happy during that moment; the joy he felt was brief. His main emotion was sadness; looking at his father had increased. Arthur's eyes widened at his son's remark. The book slid off from his lap once he leaned over and embraced the younger Arcturus.

"I'll grant that wish for you!" Arthur muttered, "I'll try to be home more often from now on!"

Hearing those words caused sudden anger to intrude into his mind. He tightened his grip on Nova's hand; he quickly released it when Nova started wincing in pain.

"Is something the matter?" Nova asked out of worry.

"He lied. He said he'd be home often, but he didn't keep that promise. He didn't come home after that day." The thought of his absent father made his blood slowly boil.

His father had disappeared so abruptly; nobody knew where he had gone when he told his family he would leave for Ilacier and return in a few days. Days became weeks. Weeks became years. When Arcturus was young, he had to cope with his disappearance with the lore; he was desperate to keep his father alive in his memory, which was why he had read that story and memorized it verbatim.

"Do you hate your father?"

Nova's question spiraled confusion into Arcturus. Did he hate his father? He wasn't sure. His father left him when he was very young. The memories he had of him were slowly fading away. Rather than hatred, he felt upset.

Arcturus responded. "How can I hate someone I barely know? He's just a fragment of my memories. He's my father. I know I have one, even if he had been away from my life more than my age at the time."

There was an unusual ache on his heart; it made him want to cry. However, he resisted. He found it meaningless to cry for someone he barely knew. There was one question he wanted to ask Nova: "Have you ever met a man named Arthur Mercury?"

"Never." Nova responded.

He let out a chuckle. He had been engrossed in reading to keep his father in his memories. He had always thought of him as a scholar that did his best to pursue the truth of Souhait's Lore. He had pursued the same path just to find a way to see him again. A part of him knew it was all in vain. It was an impossible goal.

The chuckle transitioned to a cackle. "I'm an idiot, aren't I? I feel nothing for my father, yet I tried my absolute best to hope that I'd meet him again if I tried to follow the same path he did. However, I knew deep down that my father is not a scholar. He exists, but I don't even know who he truly is. I'd try to keep myself stable by hoping to pursue the impossible. But it's futile."

Arcturus felt as if he was stripping himself bare.  He wasn't sure why he was exposing himself. It felt as if something was compelling him to be his true self in this world. He couldn't lie or hide here. He tried making himself a mentally strong and determined man trying to achieve what others could not, but in actuality, he was a pessimistic man plagued with doubts and uncertainty.

"Didn't you come here with the notion that you wanted to achieve the impossible?"

Arcturus's eyes widened as Nova's words resonated in his mind. He recalled the dream of his past where he was speaking to Ariel one last time before his departure. Wallowing himself in sadness and loneliness was not going to help him achieve anything.

"You're right. Seeing the memory of my father made me look back at myself and how idiotic I was for pursuing a goal just to see someone I never knew. However, I left my family and home behind of my own volition. My desire to pursue the lore and find the truth is no longer related to my father–it's all of my own doing. I'm here because I want to be–to achieve something no one else has."

The scenery started disintegrating. The force pulled itself together and drew itself towards Nova's hand where it became a bright red apple. Arcturus was confused as he checked his surroundings. He was no longer in his old house, but the quaint library once again.

"What's going on?" Arcturus asked.

Nova responded, "This apple is a symbol that you have passed the first trial."

"I don't understand. What does it mean to pass?"

"This world is of my creation, so I get to decide what passes or fails. You pass because you understand what it is you want. Remember, I am someone trying to find the wish you have deep within your heart."

Nova's words made Arcturus place a hand to his heart. He thought about what sort of wish he would want granted. Narrowing down his choices, he believed he found the right one.

"I think I figured out what my wish is."