Shades of the New World

Chapter 212: Nostalgia

As Evin walked about the streets of Smallwall town, periodically, some people would come to pester him about this and that, until eventually, he decided to shroud himself in a veil of illusions. He expected to be spotted by some mages, but guessed that they should get the hint from what Evin was doing and how he looked like.

He then idly walked through the shopping streets for 1st grade citizens wondering what teenage girls liked in these times. Countless dresses and accessories flashed past his eyes, some of them even from the projects that the Cosmics had him evaluate. Weirdly, none of them seemed good enough in Evin's eyes, as he preferred to simply walk around aimlessly, enjoying the feeling of being ignored by the World. 

He somehow ended up loitering around for almost an hour doing nothing in particular. Most of this time was spent chasing around a little girl who seemed to be lost. The girl was about 8 or 9, maybe even 10, her burgundy hair done in a twin-tail. In any case, the reason Evin was following her around was because she acted in a very interesting way even though she seemed to be lost. The girl didn't cry for her parents and didn't make a fuss. She put on a brave front and walked around the bustling crowd, her eyes searching for someone. Evin saw her tiny hands shake a bit, when she thought she was alone, but she would instantly toughen up when an adult seemed to take notice of her. 

Why did she not seek the adult's help and why was she adamant on putting up such a brave front, Evin didn't know. He could tell that she was from a wealthy enough family considering the high-quality cotton dress she was wearing and also the fact that this area was reserved for 1st grade citizens. Evin also had a feeling that the girl was a mage, but he couldn't really be certain of it. After all, he didn't really know how to scan another with a World of Life spell. He could probably do it if he tried hard enough, but he didn't wish to be found out and startle the girl.

And besides, he didn't care if the girl was a mage or not, he was more interested in finding out why she acted in such a way. Perhaps she was raised to be independent, or maybe she was just someone who was naturally shy. In any case, Evin was properly invested in this random girl. He wanted to find out what would happen to her and what her reaction would be when she finally found whoever she was searching for. He wondered what would happen to the girl if she never found the person she lost. Would her tough girl faade finally disappear and she would break down? 

Some part of him was also expecting to see some shady personnel to take notice of her and try to take her away, but the chances of such things happening was infinitesimally low, considering the area they were currently loitering around.

But eventually, the girl's eyes finally seemed to find the one she was looking for. Evin followed her gaze and saw a tall, well-dressed woman who was idly sitting on a bench, a small book in one hand and a wooden cup of something in the other one. 

'Quite calm for someone who lost her alleged child,' Evin thought and looked back at the girl.

A smile of relief appeared on the girl's face for a moment before it was replaced with an apprehensive frown. She fixed her ruffled clothing and slowly approached the woman.

'Oh' Evin thought with amusement, wondering what would happen next.

"Mother," the girl voiced, almost unsurely. 

Seemingly understanding that she was being called, the woman slowly turned her gaze from the book and looked at the girl with confusion.

"Who? Me? Who are you??" she suddenly said, a genuine look of surprise on her face.

'What?' Evin's curiosity spiked when he heard the woman's words.

The girl, on the other hand, seemed used to such answers as she slowly, and carefully reached for the woman's hands, her eyes warily observing the woman's body, evidently expecting something terrible to happen.

Evin's heart was filled with tension as he witnessed this moment from the sidelines. The girl's hands reached the woman's and a look of painful confusion filled the woman's face. A moment later, as if nothing had happened, she looked at the girl holding her hands and smiled widely.

"Oh sweetheart, there you are," she said and hugged her child, dropping the cup and book she was holding in the process.

"Let's go home, mother," the girl sighed in relief, as she hugged the woman back.

The girl then walked away, holding her mother's hand in one hand, while hugging cup and book in the other.

Evin was dying to follow behind the two, but he managed to stop himself from doing so.

'I've had my fill of fun, so I should stop for today. Maybe I'll strike up a conversation if I ever meet her again,' he thought resolutely.

'Well, now I know why she was so bold with her actions. Turns out that she wasn't the one lost' Evin guessed that the woman was ill in the head with something, and that she was separated from the girl when the two were out walking. 

He could see that the girl was used to taking care of her mother, and that there were probably scenes where the mother isn't so peaceful, judging from the tension-filled moment when she was reaching out for her hand,

Evin's head went on a chain of speculations about the girl and her mother, lighting up his curiosity even further.

'Now that I think about it, this is almost exactly the same as what I did as a spirit, huh?' he thought almost nostalgically, once again realizing how much he needed some alone time. He definitely wouldn't have done something like this if he was walking with Rith or Ssatsko.

Thinking of his new life, Evin realized that ever since he was born, he was constantly surrounded by others, never really finding the chance to reflect on his own self. And technically, this hour he spent stalking the girl he wasn't completely alone, since he had the World Sprites in his shadow. But he had blocked them out for the time being, so it was the best alone time he could have for himself.

'Weird how I sometimes miss my days on Earth,' Evin never thought he would think this but he really missed some parts of being a spirit.

'Only some parts of it, though'

Shaking his head, Evin went to a shop to do what he actually came here to do. 

Since he really wasn't confident in his gift buying skills, he decided to choose a random shop and just ask the shop owner for help.