Distant Pass

Eiji hastily left his kitchen and approached Ophélie. Although her eyes did not reveal any fear, she was fiercely clutching the bed sheets. Her gaze quickly turned to the young man.

"Where am I? What happened? I was in the forest, and..."

Before she could finish her sentence, she began to cry, burying her face in the sheets. Unable to bear it, Eiji approached her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry. You're safe now. I'll explain everything over a meal. I've prepared something to help you regain your strength!" He said with a smile.

She looked up again and wiped her tears.

"And who are you?"

Although she waited impatiently for Eiji's response, he said nothing and got up. He opened the wardrobe door and took out the dress he had just bought. He placed it on the bed where Ophelia could easily reach it.

"First, get dressed. As I said, I'll answer all your questions. Once you're done putting on your clothes, come sit at the table over there," He said, pointing to the kitchen. "The meal is almost ready."

She reached out and took the dress, her gesture hesitant. She instinctively looked at her attire. Noticing that she was only wearing a simple coat that only partially covered her body, her face turned red. Although she said nothing, Eiji had to endure her gaze for a few seconds. Instinctively, he headed for the kitchen and continued preparing the meal turning his back to her. Once finished, she joined him and sat on a chair next to the table.

Since Eiji was cooking, she said nothing and let him finish. After waiting a few seconds, he served her a large bowl of soup.

"For the starter, here's a vegetable soup. Since you probably haven't eaten anything in a long time, we'll start slowly for your stomach."

ust from the smell, she could tell that his cooking skills were not so ordinary. She took her spoon in hand, thanking him. He also took a bowl of soup and sat down next to her.

"Your name is Ophélie, right?"

At this question, she couldn't help but laugh, almost choking.

"You save and help me even though you don't know my name... How altruistic!"

She raised her chin and puffed up her chest. "Indeed. You are looking at the first princess of the kingdom of Ortia, Ophelia d'Ortia!"

Seeing this, Eiji couldn't help but display a little mocking smile. It was difficult for him to resist the urge to burst out laughing! That displeased the young woman, who pointed an accusing finger at him.

"May I know what you find so funny?"

That was the last straw. Eiji could no longer hold back his laughter.

"You don't look like a princess at all!"

Ophelia blushed at these words. Torn between shame and anger, she didn't know how to react. Only her father and her best friend dared to speak to her like that! But he wasn't wrong. The princess label didn't suit her. So she kept quiet and decided to change the subject.

"By the way, you still haven't answered me! Where are we?"

Eiji dreaded this question more than anything. Now he understood Ophelia didn't remember anything. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that her conscience had traveled over seven hundred years into the future. Thoughtfully, his gaze wandered into his soup which he was swirling with his spoon.

Without him noticing, Ophelia approached and tried to intervene between him and his soup as best she could.

"Are you okay? Don't tell me you don't know where we are either?"

Eiji quickly regained his smile. "No, no. Everything's fine. It's just that... What I'm about to tell you might be quite difficult to hear."

Intrigued, Ophelia sat back in her chair and listened. Her way of playing with her cutlery betrayed her apprehension.

"In a way, the kingdom of Ortia has been saved. But it has also disappeared. And this happened seven hundred years ago."

At these words, Ophelia froze, and her eyes widened. She couldn't believe what Eiji had just said. Despite the shock, she managed to stammer a few words.

"Seven... Seven hundred years, you say? But... And Elena... Father?"

Eiji stopped eating. He gently put down his spoon and lowered his gaze. He swallowed before continuing.

"Unfortunately, I fear they all disappeared a long time ago."

Ophelia's body tensed. She buried her face in her knees and began to cry, letting out cries of despair. Not knowing how to react, Eiji reached out his arm and stroked the girl's head, hoping to comfort her.

"But what happened to me? What happened to my kingdom?"

Eiji continued to comfort her while thinking about his words. What could he possibly tell her? He was not an expert in the matter. All he knew came from rumors circulating in the Ninakami streets and what his mentor had explained. As the Ophelians were enemies of the Higashito, only a few knew the exact history of the Holy City!

Nevertheless, today's events provided clues that allowed him to piece together some of the puzzles.

"For a reason I don't know, you became a dryad, a forest nymph. According to legend, Princess Ophelia d'Ortia sacrificed herself to save her kingdom from a curse. The situation was so serious that a new order quickly rose and tried to replace the old regime. A religion whose spiritual leader was a Saintess, and the military and political leader was the Pope. As the influence of this order grew, they separated from the kingdom of Ortia to found the Holy City, named after the person they worshipped, the Original Saintess, Ophelia. In less than a century, the kingdom of Ortia disappeared, replaced by this order."

Eiji fell silent as Ophelia struggled to process the information. She raised her head, her eyes red and still moist.

Suddenly, a broad smile spread across her face.

"So, in the end, my actions were in vain, and the kingdom was doomed..."

"I think you're looking at it the wrong way. On the contrary, you gave hope to the people. The Order of the Saintess and Ophelia are perfect examples of that. I think I misspoke earlier. They didn't replace the kingdom of Ortia. They are its evolution. Its logical continuity."

Ophelia's face contracted again, and new tears came moistening her eyes. Before Eiji could react, she threw herself into his arms, murmuring thanks.

Although Eiji didn't know how to react at first, he then stroked her back, hoping to calm her down.

Right at this moment, the room door opened, and a man with blonde hair entered the apartment. The creaking of the door made them jump, and when they saw Tahrren, Ophelia suddenly moved away from Eiji and quickly dried her tears. Unfortunately for her, she couldn't do anything about her reddened face. Eiji, on the other hand, remained stoic.

"I can see that you took good care of her, Eiji! You seem to get along perfectly!"