Time that Stopped

TIME THAT STOPPED

After Brim released Von and Eli, and when the rain stopped, he immediately drove them out of the cave. On a tree branch, Von could be seen there lying with her eyes closed. Her companion Eli was lying on the ground in the form of a horse.

"Von?" Eli called her out.

"Hmm?" Von replied with her eyes still closed.

"We've been traveling for almost a year already, but up until now I still don't have any idea where you really want to go"

After what Eli said, Von remembered how she had first met Eli and how she had pulled or forced him to accompany her to flee the palace.

"It's already been a while, huh?" Von said smiling as she opened her eyes.

"Yeah"

The two reminisced the past, so for a moment silence prevailed between the them.

"So, where do you really want to go?" Eli asked once again.

"Hmm…" Von looked up at the sky and thought of an answer for Eli's question.

"There is place I do want to go, but I can't enter in there" Von answered when she thought of a place.

Eli confusedly looked at her, "Why?"

"It's a place where people who don't want to move on stays"

"Huh?"

"It's something that I've once heard from Esperanza, do you want to hear the story of that place?"

Eli's eyes twinkled at what Von said. "Yes, please!"

"It's a story of a guy who had once a quarrel with his siblings. After their quarrel, the relationship between him and with his siblings were not as same as before. The guy then felt guilty and want to fix their misunderstandings. He want to return the things as they were before. But his siblings doesn't think the same way as he. So instead of fixing it, their relationship just got more severed.

The guy, as a genius magician, used a forbidden spell to go back time wherein he and his siblings were still fine and were still close towards each other. But the consequence was the place where he used the spell also shared the same effect to everyone who was in that area. Thus, anyone who was in there and whoever went inside that place go back to the time where they wish they could return to and will be trapped in it. It's like a loop wherein you'll be doing the same thing over and over again due to the desire of a person of wanting that specific event to last forever."

Eli gaped in amazement at what he heard. "That place is amazing!"

"That is why I'm curious what it's like inside. But it also sounds like you'll only be living in lies."

"But, if you were to went back in time, what specific event do you want to go back to?" Eli asked.

Von thought about it for a minute but just replied with a smile as she shook her head. "I can't think of anything."

"Don't you have any regrets?"

"I guess, I have. But I don't want to live for the sake of that regret. The only thing I want to do is to move forward" Von answered.

Eli smiled at her answer.

"Let's just sleep already so we can travel early tomorrow" Von said before she closed her eyes again.

As Von closed his eyes she recalled the time when Esperanza had told her of his journey to that village. It took Esperanza almost 9 year to escape the spell of that village and get out of there. Esperanza only able to get rid of that spell because his desire of traveling more was on par with his regret.

•••

When the sun rise, Eli immediately looked for something for them to eat while Von practiced using her sword.

When Eli returned, Von also stopped training. The two immediately ate breakfast.

"Let's go to that place, Von"

Von was surprised by his suggestion that's why she almost choked from eating her food. "H-huh? When we got there we may not be able to get out of there anymore"

Eli pouted. "Then let's just go until the entrance only. I'm curious what the place you're talking about looks like!"

Von looked at him for a few seconds before she sighed in defeat. "Fine. I'm also curious about it anyway"

As decided, they set out in the direction of that place. A few days have passed before they were able to reach the village they wanted to visit.

Von was amazed at the enticing and powerful mana that comes from within the village.

"Could you sense that, Eli?" Von asked in astonishment. Eli nodded in agreement.

Eli refrains himself from stepping inside the village, even though there seems to be a force pulling him inward.

Von's attention was caught by the signage beside the entrance of the village. She read what was written there. It seemed to contain the story of how the village was formed and some warnings for those people who want to enter inside.

Von noticed that there were still other people who enters the village even after they had read the warning.

"Eli, let's go"

When she felt that Eli was not following her, Von turned her head to check on her partner. She noticed that Eli would only need to take another step then he'll finally be inside the village. Out of fear Von panicked and immediately pulled Eli away.

"Von?" Eli asked in surprise, after finally waking up from being dazed earlier.

Von breathed a sigh of relief when they were already far away from the village. "I told you, if we enter that place it'll be difficult to get out. Even Esperanza took almost 9 years to get out of that place"

"Esperanza has been there?! Then if he was able to enter and exit from that village, that means you'll also be able to do it!"

Von shook her head. "I don't think so. Esperanza is different"

Von don't have the confidence and the courage to go inside that village yet. She may have some regrets, but she still doesn't have any idea the desire that she wants to have , which is supposed to be more stronger than the regrets she have. She's afraid that when she enters that village, she might give in from the temptation of staying inside just like everyone else.

Von doesn't know how Esperanza get rid of the village spell just because of his desire to travel further. There is no certainty if the same will also happen to her, even though she also has the desire to travel or if her desire is already enough to break the spell. But there is also a possibility that Esperanza just got lucky.

"Then if you have no more regrets, let's try to go inside of that place and challenge it. It's an interesting place after all"

Von was left speechless at Eli's suggestion but she soon laughed at it.

"Hmm! Let's do that. I might end up regretting not going inside of that place if we don't." She agreed.