The Price of Divinity

Ink is awakened in a street; the colors all look dull; the more he looks around, the more dull and sad everything is. Ink tries to stand up only to fall down. Not knowing what the problem is, he decides to continue looking around. Everything was new to him. 

Ink still doesn't realize that he has transmigrated; this is his entire present. Ink stares at the people walking, everyone either ignoring him or giving him a dirty look. 

This continued for a while until an old lady threw him a bag of food. Ink just stares at it before grabbing it. Opening it, the smells activated his brain, instantly biting it like it was his last meal. The meal looked like scraps, only a sandwich with whole and ingredients a day before expiring, yet it was all ink needed. 

Ink, with the surge of energy, stands up and begins walking without a clear destination in mind. The more he walked, the more bland everything looked. The houses, clothing, architecture, and even the sky were all monotone. 

Ink meets again with the old lady; the old lady takes pity on the child no older than five and takes him to her house to check if he's okay.

On the way to the old lady's house, Ink starts to feel empty; this life is way too sad. There is no one smiling on the streets. Everyone either has a resting face or has a slight frown. The old lady was the only one that Ink could see having some sort of joy in her life. Walking behind her, it felt like her shadow had a ray of light compared to everywhere he looked. 

They arrived home; the first thing Ink noticed was the three lanterns covering the living room. Everything looked like medieval Europe. The old lady went into the kitchen to prepare something to eat, leaving Ink standing in the dining room not knowing where he was.

After ten minutes of waiting, the old lady appears with two plates with chicken and rice with a side of potatoes. She sets the plates down, pulls her chair out from the table, and sits down. Ink follows her actions by doing the same. Both of them are sitting at a table; there is no sound; everything is quiet.

"So, young man, what is your name?" The old lady decides to break the silence and know the name of the child she brought home.

"My name? My name is Ink. That is all I know. I don't know where I am from. I just appeared with no way to know where to go." Ink looking at the old lady with his darker-than-night eyes.

"Ink? Huh, what a funny name; let me change it. How about Noctis? Since your eyes are as dark as the night, I think it fits you perfectly." The only lady smiling gives Ink a new name.

"Noctis? I like it; if you say it's better, then it's ok." Ink now as Noctis lets out a small smile.

"So, Noctis, you don't know where you came from? You don't know where the rest of your family is?" 

"Family, what is that? I don't know anything. It feels like everything I knew is gone." Noctis stares at his hands, contemplating where he is.

"Don't worry; I am sure he will find out where you are from. You probably got it as a curse that forbids you from remembering." The old lady grabbed her utensil to begin eating.

"A curse? Is that permanent?" Noctis asked the old lady, clearly shaken by the news.

"Oh darling, don't worry. It's not permanent. The more you explore and learn things, the more the curse will gradually disappear. This is a very common reason why people are in the streets. Now begin eating before the food gets cold. The old lady starts eating after watching Noctis calm down.

They both finish their meal. Noctis feels very full; it seems that for the first time in a while, he had a proper meal. After eating, the old lady begins to pick up the plates. Noctis stands up and stays there, not knowing where to go. The old lady advises him to go and take a bath before going to bed.

Noctis is confused on what a bath is, but with the guidance of the old lady, he goes to the bathroom and gets bathed by the old lady. Noctis felt a warmth he had never felt before; it felt amazing to him. He started to see how the old lady washes his body, asking for the bar of soap to try and do it himself.

After succeeding in bathing, he gets out to see a pair of clean clothes waiting for him. The size is way too big for him, but Noctis felt very safe in this set of clothes. Noctis left the bathroom to see the old lady prepare a mat for him to sleep in. 

Noctis just stares at the mat, not knowing what to do with it. He sees the old lady sleep in her own bed by opening the blanket and laying down. Noctis follows this, instantly falling asleep as soon as his torso was inside the blanket. Everything to him was special; the bath and his mat were the best moments he was living.

Notcis wakes up to smell the food that the old lady is preparing to start the day. Noctis gets out his mat and begins to walk towards the dining room. To see two plates served on the table, the old lady sitting at the front eating and Noctis's plate on the end.

"Good morning, darling, did you sleep well?" The old lady wipes her mouth before speaking.

"Yes, I really liked it. Thank you." Noctis stares at his food as he talks.

"Don't just sit down and eat."

Notcis sits down and begins eating; tasting all the different unique flavors made it a fantastic way to start his day. After devouring his food, he remains seated for any instructions.

"Darling, yesterday it was quite rude of me to not present myself. I am Dunning, but you can call me Grandma. I used to have little boys like you, but they are all grown, leaving me behind all by myself, which I don't mind since they pay for everything. But an old lady does get lonely from time to time." Dunning starts telling her story to Noctis.

"Grandma is a lot easier for me, and it also feels very familiar. Now you have me, so you don't have to worry about being lonely anymore." Noctis, with a small smile, looks at Grandma.

"Haha, that's true. Now I think we should do some exploring to see if you remember anything from your past." Grandma gives a small chuckle as she picks up the plates.