The Evanescence of Legacy is a fantasy novel that takes place in the fictional world of Terravita, in a time that is an anachronistic conglomerate of our real-world late 19th and early 20th century. The narrative is a steampunk subgenre with few creative liberties that synthesizes inspirations of Final Fantasy’s magical crystal dynamics and motifs and Lord of The Rings scale of world building and narrative structure. The story follows a young man named Dex Victon III, a brooding college transfer student who stresses over his finals and his purpose in life. While rushing to his exams, he runs into a beautiful priestess and becomes instantly attracted to her. But with the threat of The Oz-Kalim Empire looming from the East and posing a serious threat to their way of life and the Western Continent, the priestess prophesizes his purpose and charges him with a task he was not prepared for: to join her on a crusade with others to save the world from certain doom. And he, the most mediocre individual in the group of idealistic, heroic companions and misfits, is to be the leader of their cause.
The story is still in the works and has been for nearly two decades due to the fact that I have written and re-written it again and again and again because I was never satisfied with the intro and was really annoyed with how much I couldn’t get away from source of inspiration; it would look uncomfortably similar that I wasn’t happy. But now, after committing to a clear idea and sticking with the process, I’m glad to say I have made progress.
The following scene takes place at the beginning, where our protagonist, Dex, distracted with his studies, accidentally bumps into the beautiful priestess that acts as the catalyst for his journey. Although awkward, a magnetic charm links the two that will act as a knot of coordination in their adventure.
Dex gasped at his misdeed, dropped his bag and his paper as he covered his mouth in shock. “Oh… my sweet Diasu! I’m so sorry! Are you alright?” He leaned forward, offering a hand. Her face was covered by a transparent veil or a shawl that must’ve gone askew over her head when she fell. It was similar to the ones women of The Cathedral wore as the sunlight reflected or glimmered off of it like a miracle.
Behind the veil, there was a distressed, feminine sigh and a sweet voice followed. “Yes, I’m alright.” She took Dex’s hand and arose with his help. On her feet, she brought both of her hands up to her head and pulled back her veil. In that moment Dex’s heart fluttered and his body froze as if time had suddenly stopped everything around him, except for the young woman.
She shook her head to loosen her long, beautiful, dirty blonde hair, to which Dex perceived in slow motion. She had angelic grace with her beautiful and soft, white skin, slightly blushed cheeks, luscious red lips, long dark eyelashes, and her locks waved in the air with divine radiance as in a dream. Her eyes remained closed as she did this, but when she opened them, her irises were the most fascinating things that Dex had ever seen. Her hazel eyes didn’t seem quite simple nor sedentary as they gradually changed colors from brown, to green, to gold, to hazel, and back again. Dex forgot the finals, the Ano Nova, the crowd, the stress, the frustrations; everything, as he stood flabbergasted.
They were both quiet as Dex had the face of an entranced fool while she had the look of confusion. “Um, pardon me.” Dex did not move or speak. “Hello?”
The student shook his head as if he woke from a blissful hypnosis. “Oh!” He looked away with a flushed face. “Sorry, I…” He put his right hand on the back of his head and his elbow blocked her sight from his eyes. “I was… distracted by your beautiful eyes and… your hand was… nice and soft.”
She smiled.
“Aw, that’s the worst pickup line.” He turned back to her. “I’m sorry.”
She giggled and brought the back side of her closed hand to her mouth to cover her smile. “Thou need’st not apologize.”
“What do you mean? ’Course I do. I mean I knocked you down with your books and then next thing I know, I’m holding your hand, looking into those beautiful eyes of yours and looking like an idiot in front of you… You probably think that I’m a creep or an idiot, or both. So yeah, I’m-I’m sorry. I’m not good when it comes to talking to women.”
She took Dex’s right hand. “Thou knowest thine hands are not so vulgar to the touch.” She held it with her left and she ran her fingers over his palm with her right, slowly, as if to feel and read his prints. “Such warmth, such softness… so gentle, and kind-hearted…”
Dex’s chest and stomach began to tighten, his heart began to race, and his knees began to shake, and his face turned red like a tomato.
“Albeit… Mayhap a bit troubled… And mayhaps thou requirest sleep.” She looked up to Dex’s eyes. He gulped. “Thou hast such long eye lashes.”
The student’s face brightened and he looked away to clear his throat. “Here, let me get your stuff.” He got down on one knee to pick up her effects.
“Oh! Right!”
As the two of them collected all the books and documents, Dex would glance at her every so often.
“So, uh… You got lots of finals papers to turn in or something?”
“Oh, no. These are for The Cathedral, actually. Father Haster hath much to read and sign for plans of the Ano Nova. He is an overly-occupied man, you see.”
Dex shook his head. “And you?”
“I…” she stopped for a moment. “I’m a boon for him. He can’t do everything on his own and I’m proud to assist in any way I can. And we have very little time and so much to be done. Especially The Ancient Hymn.”
“Yeah, I get it.” He finished picking up papers on his end and moved beside her to help with the rest. He thought for a moment, then looked at her with a raised brow. “Are you really a maiden in The Cathedral?”
She scoffed and turned to him with a smile. “Of-of course I am! Why? Do I look so different from the other maidens?”
He studied her face. “Do I know you from somewhere? Have we met?”
She studied his. “No. No, methinks not. Why?”
“Well, I hope you don’t mind me saying, but… You’re probably the most beautiful cathedral maiden I have ever seen.”
She brushed her hair to the side and said with a laugh and red cheeks. “Really?”
“Well, I thought a lot of you church people were more… well, older. But I guess I was wrong. I don’t know, you look familiar, like I’ve seen you on a magazine or some CV network. You’re… you’re not a model, are you? A former model?”
Now her face became red like a tomato. “Thou art so sweet.”
“Meh, just being honest.” He noticed the final paper and reached for it at the same time she did and they accidentally touched hands again. The two looked at each other and slowly rose together in synchronization, with both of their hands on the document.