Chương 36: 35-The Old Shrine

[Monday, 2: 02 PM: 2026/01/05] [CARLA'S REALITY] LYSANDRA: {I DIDN'T MEAN SPEND A QUARTER OF A DAY HIKING!!! >: (… Sorry! Forgot you were there. I had to yell a bit into the void as my wife HIKED FURTHER THAN I EXPECTED!!! >: (… Honestly, I think she forgets sometimes just because she gets so fixated on something; helps though when you're fixing up the house! XD XD XD … I'm kidding about being mad at my wife; Ellie really needs to touch grass. I'm glad she's watchful over her (which is vastly different from how she acted before we got separated). She has kept a close eye on our daughter, making sure she gets enough food, water, and exercise. The last deal I mentioned, my wife (who wanted to be a physical trainer) pushed Ellie just enough through some hills and creeks (Carla did hopscotch with her), but… … Ellie has really regressed, and her motor skills are flunky. Me and Carla have talked about that, and we are probably extending her stay here to re-tune her motor skills. Nedri, if you can read this, I hope you burn in hell for what you did to our kid. … I should probably tell you what they've been doing…} CARLA: {-How about I tell them? I am the one hiking with El lol-} LYSANDRA: {-YOU'VE READ WHAT I TRANSCRIBED?! -} CARLA: {-Yeah, I kind of placed a little backdoor in your transcript systems, lmao-} LYSANDRA: {-Still the same, rebellious woman a century later…:) … Don't tell Ellie how to do that-} CARLA: {-I won't-} {Now, for you, here's the SlipNotes version} [It's just an endless oak forest (kind of). Well, we came across a few maples, walnuts, and some apple trees. Unfortunately, the apples are not blooming, so no fruit. … Actually, thank God they weren't blooming, otherwise El would be sneezing like crazy. I know this is the dream version of her, but ya got to remember, there's still the real version who is very weak. There's a bunch of hills, but a clear dirt path with sparse grass on the sides and a few exposed tree roots. There are some fallen leaves, acorns, and a few walnuts (which aren't edible without proper cleaning). A few times, El and I came upon a few streams. Like my wife said, we did hopscotch, and she fumbled. Either her muscle memory is fucked or- I do not want to think about the old Ellie. She runs up hills awkwardly as if her body and brain aren't cooperating. I had to sit down quite a few times just to check on her while giving her a swig from her canteen and then refill it with water from a stream when she was done. Kidneys are definitely screwed up as she drank far more than she used to; she says she is constantly thirsty. Her nutritional balance absolutely fucked if all she had was unbalanced meals for 100 years] {-Liz, whatever you're making, hon, get her plenty of protein and fiber with that soup and focaccia bread-} LYSANDRA: {-There is the pasta… -} CARLA: {-She needs greens, Liz. Get some broccoli, brussel sprouts, or whatever, but our kid is messed up. Add cranberries or beets, and be sure to give her enough enough garlic to kill an entire village of vampires-} LYSANDRA: {-I'm probably going to add beets as well then. Can't believe I'm saying this, but she'll need ginger ale for her nausea-} CARLA: {-That's fine. Don't overdo the sugar, you know how bad that shit is-} LYSANDRA: {-On it. Also, I'm sorry for getting mad earlier, honey-} CARLA: {-Should've told ya about this sooner. I'm keeping an eye on her (like you are)-} LYSANDRA: {-Thanks:) -} CARLA: [Anyways, we're up this shallow hill; the dirt road is winding down as is the forest canopy as we begin to reach the top of a small mountain. Vegetation is less dense, so we're almost there] LYSANDRA: {-To where? -} CARLA: {-Where we pay our respects to the man who brought us together-} LYSANDRA: {-Carla, I don't think Ellie is ready to know who my father is-} CARLA: {-Well, she'll have to know either way. Besides, it won't trigger a flashback here, so chillax-} [I'm encouraging Ellie to follow along, but she seems a bit more focused on her surroundings, and she has a hard time picking up my voice. As our destination becomes clear, I see the overlook towards the forest covering the lands below, along with the sizable lake I swam in.] LYSANDRA: {-A lot-} CARLA: {-Hey, you swam with me, hon, especially since you wanted to see my abs, lmao-} LYSANDRA: {-STOP!!! >: (-} CARLA: {-Hey, I'm just being honest with the people reading this lol-} LYSANDRA: {-Fine… -} CARLA: [Then there are the snow-capped mountains in the distance, being the barrier of this biome to the others. A lot of places… hopefully El remembers] {-Okay, hon, you can come back and transcribe now-} LYSANDRA: [Well, the path Carla is heading to appears to be going to the shrine dedicated to my father. So, um… we follow a different faith than what many are used to, which-] CARLA: {-That'll be for another time, hon-} LYSANDRA: {-Right, sorry-} [It's a rectangular, miniaturized, blue domed bell tower with a tiny bell tower. It has a cross on top of it, along with four robed, hooded angelic figures (the Angeloi) with no faces. They are beings that should put the fear of God into that silver-masked bastard, but they're too lazy to do anything.: (] CARLA: [My wife taps Ellie's shoulder, who is distracted be natural scenery (and paying no attention to the shrine)] whispering "Hey El." ELLIE: [Our daughter snaps out of her trance and frantically turns to Carla, confused]"Yes, mim?" CARLA: The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. [My wife points to the shrine, which our daughter follows] ELLIE: [She stares at it, thinking that Carla is pointing to the lake]"That's a big lake, mim; the mountains as well." > CONFUSED"Is that the lake you swam in?" CARLA: > NODS"Yes, and we hiked across the mountains, but that's not what I'm pointing to, El." [My wife points again to the shrine, which Ellie properly follows] ELLIE: > COCKS HEAD"Why is there a tiny bell tower here?" CARLA: > SIGHS"It's a shrine, dedicated to your grandad on your mother's side." ELLIE: > EYES WIDEN"All the way out here?" CARLA: [My wife nods at Ellie, smiling softly at her]"Yep. It was his favorite view when he played the Beta build of HammerForge while raising her." ELLIE: > CURIOUS"And he created her, right?" CARLA:"Yep. That's why he's her dad, and your grandpa." [My wife drops her smile and sighs]"He was a very good man while he lived and wanted to remember him even as the rest of the world forgot who he was." ELLIE: [Our daughter slowly turns to Carla, embarrassed]"Oh yeah… the dev of HammerForge was never known other than his username, which was-" CARLA: > STERN"Your grandpa's name was Levi Strauss." ELLIE: [Our daughter's eyes flare wide open, her mouth agape]"Levi Strauss?! That's the name of John's boyfriend, who's a graphic artist, not a programmer!" CARLA: [My wife covers her wolf ears as Ellie says that, a bit discomforted as she takes her hands off her ears]"Yeah, but it's a different Levi, one from a different universe, and that one was probably the greatest programmer in my world's history." ELLIE: > CHUFFS"Don't you mean Nikolas Simonov? The man who helped put men on the Moon?" CARLA: [My wife shakes her head and smiles at Ellie]"Well, in my opinion, it was Levi. I saw his work; it was light-years ahead of what Nikolas could ever dream of. And he made your mom, who I sometimes mistake for a human." > GIGGLES ELLIE: > EMBARRASSED"Oh." LYSANDRA: {-She's forgotten about controlling the volume of her voice-} CARLA: {-I know, I think she was just surprised-} LYSANDRA: {-Carla, we worked to get Ellie to not blurt out things like that. What I'm hearing is- … -} CARLA: {-Liz? -} LYSANDRA: {-Make her ring the bell; I want papa to know she's back-} CARLA: {-Yes, hon-} [My wife turns to Ellie, concerned. She hides it with a soft smile, turning to our daughter and gesturing to the shrine]"Hey? How about you ring the bell? Your grandpa probably wants to know that you're back home." ELLIE: > RAISES EYEBROW"Will it summon the spirit of grandpa?" > GIGGLES"A spooky ghost version of him?!" CARLA: [My wife shakes her head, disturbed at what Ellie just said to her]"No…?" [Carla squints at our daughter, awkwardly]"Ringing it is our tradition of honoring the dead, and basically telling their souls that their loved ones remember them." [Carla points to the shrine again, anxious at Ellie]"Go and ring it, kid." ELLIE: > NODS"Alright." [Our daughter goes up to the shrine slowly, taking more time to analyze it thoroughly] CARLA: {-Can't believe I'm being you here, but the shit she said was inappropriate-} LYSANDRA: {-She's been isolated for a hundred years, Carla. But yes, it was. She's regressed… -} ELLIE: [Our daughter taps the bell, and then looks at it, along with the interior of the shrine] CARLA: {-Liz, I really do not want to think she has gone this far downhill, but the last time she said something that rudely, it was when you were working on her higher cognitive social skills-} LYSANDRA: {-It may have been because she got all of her junk from the internet or video games; I'm sure it was just her trying to act tough as a habitual coping mechanism-} CARLA: {-Hon, our daughter is literally inspecting every part of the shrine. That only happened before she was "healthy", which took a century here. I know you don't want to remember that, but this shit is not normal-} ELLIE: [Our daughter stops analyzing the shrine, shrugs, and taps the bell, letting it ring. The bell lets out a small, high-pitched chime. She stops and listens to it carefully] LYSANDRA: {-Carla, when that bell stops ringing, I want you to get Ellie home. Get her some dinner, but make her play a game with you, and I don't care if it's rated M. I just want to know if what I'm witnessing is that bad-} CARLA: {-Family bonding time like the old days, Liz? -} LYSANDRA: {-Yeah; the one where we played video games together to work on Ellie's motor and social skills. Please, I want to know if our baby hasn't gone back that far-} CARLA: {-Sure thing, hon-} [After the bell chimes, it starts to calm down. My wife carefully begins walking up to our daughter, alarmed by the set of events unfolding] LYSANDRA: {-And Carla? -} CARLA: {-Yeah, babe? -} LYSANDRA: {-Have Ellie help you with the dishes tonight, okay? -} CARLA: {-I will-} [My wife forces a smile as she walks by Ellie, inspecting her]"Sounds like your grandpa is pleased, kiddo!" ELLIE: [Our daughter's eyes widen, and she turns to Carla, alarmed]"Sorry! I was just listening to the bell ring." CARLA:"It is; it soothes your grandpa's soul." ELLIE: [Our daughter relaxes, and nods slowly]"I see…" CARLA: [My wife's smile fades as she subtly gestures Ellie to turn her gaze towards the far horizon]"Damn… Always a lovely view even when coming back here." > SMIRKS"Your grandpa loved seeing all of this for a reason." ELLIE: [Our daughter takes in the sights again, though her focus turns to the mountains]"Mim, what's beyond the mountains?" CARLA: > CONTENT SIGH"Beyond those mountains is a little desert biome. Pretty dry, but it's got some really cool red, arched rocks. Lots of ravines, some cacti and patches of grass. It's a pretty cool place." ELLIE:"Did I enjoy going there?" CARLA: > NODS"Yeah, it was one of your favorite places to visit." [My wife turns to Ellie and smiles]"And there's a lot more: jungles, tundras, Mediterranean coastlines…" > CHUFFS"A shitton of biomes that you, me, and your mom visited, as you always wanted to see more of this world." ELLIE: [Ellie turns to Carla, confused]"Will I visit them all again while I'm here?" CARLA: [My wife meets Ellie's gaze, forcing a smile, though somewhat alarmed]"Not all of them, but a few." ELLIE: > RAISES EYEBROW"How much?" CARLA: [My wife's smile fades]"Well, that number will be determined later." ELLIE: [Ellie stares at my wife, dumbfounded as she freezes, trying to understand-] LYSANDRA: {-Carla, get her home-} CARLA: [My wife checks her "wristwatch" (which she doesn't have one) and makes a shocked face]"Damn, it's getting late. If we walk back this far, we'll be both dead-ass zombies who can't do the dishes." ELLIE: [Our daughter snaps out of her trance and awkwardly smiles at Carla]"Well, maybe it's good to relax and-?" > EYES WIDEN"It's 2: 51! We won't get home in time before the sun sets!" CARLA:"I know…" [My wife's smile fades, taking out a data cube containing the fast travel items, forming a green coin from it. She shows it to Ellie attentively, as our daughter carefully studies it]"Remember this, El?" [My wife shakes the coin in front of Ellie, giving it to her] ELLIE: [Our daughter takes the coin, inspecting it with curiosity, paying no attention to her mimi who is concerned about her over-analytical behavior]"No, but this looks like a game item, right?" CARLA: > NODS"It is." ELLIE: [Ellie holds the coin up to her right eye, catching small refractions of Carla]"Though it's weird that it seems to be made of glass with no markings…" CARLA: [My wife takes the coin from Ellie's fingers, flicks it up in the air, and catches it. She places the coin on the back of her hand, facing Ellie and smirking]"Homebound coin. A little item that I coded into HammerForge to get back to the house quickly, safe and sound in an instant; which means we're not walking an additional 6 hours back home." ELLIE: > SMILES"That's good." > EYES WIDEN"Wait…" [Our daughter looks to her mimi, terrified as she pants heavily]"Fast travel?! That's extremely dangerous within a digital realm! Using an item will-!" CARLA: [My wife crouches before Ellie, grasping her shoulders as she stares deeply into our daughter's eyes]"Ellie, that coin is safe; we used it before. Your mim programmed that in with the help of your mom, and believe me, kid, we do not make things to harm others." > SOFT SMILE"So please, relax, will ya?" ELLIE: [Our daughter relaxes, and slowly nods at Carla] CARLA: [My wife smiles at Ellie, stands up and reaches out her right hand to our daughter while throwing the coin at her feet]"Grab my hand. When I smash the coin, we'll go home, but only if you hold on to me." ELLIE: [Our daughter looks at her mimi, anxious]"Wait? So, will it be like a bright, eldrigital light, or--? CARLA: > SHAKES Nah, kid! It will just be a sudden change of scenery… [My wife snaps her fingers on her left hand, with an excited smile]"Like that!" ELLIE: [Our daughter sighs, and though a tad bit worried, she grabs Carla's hand]"Alright…" CARLA: [My wife quickly smashes the coin with her right foot, transporting her and Ellie right back into the living room] ELLIE: [Our daughter looks around in shock, trying to process what happened, though it makes my wife laugh hysterically] CARLA:"That's a pretty typical reaction to something like that, kiddo!" [She laughs a bit more before stopping, stepping in front of the kitchenette, and raising both of her arms in joy]"Home sweet home, El! And no weird glitches or bugs!" ELLIE: [Our daughter relaxes, though she is still shocked]"I'm surprised that the coin worked flawlessly. Are all of them that safe?" CARLA: [My wife drops her and places them on her hips, smirking at our daughter]"Yep! If there were any defects, we deleted them before we used them…" [She lets go of her hips and smiles softly at Ellie]"… Because we didn't want our daughter to be hurt." ELLIE: > SMILES"Thanks, mim." CARLA: [My wife grins as she steps away a little to show the sink, pointing to it and the dirty dishes]"And I also wanted to make sure that you were well enough to do chores, kiddo! Especially the dishes, they're beginning to smell like shit." ELLIE: > AWKWARD SMILE"Can't we just put them through the dishwa-?" CARLA:"NOPE!" [My wife furiously beckons Ellie to the sink]"Come and clean them, El, while I make you ramen for dinner as a reward." ELLIE: [Our daughter, annoyed, sighs as she goes to the sink and begins doing her chores] LYSANDRA: {-Carla, keep your eyes on Ellie while you cook; I want to see if she has any hiccups-} CARLA: {-Sure thing, hon-} {SKIPPING FOOTAGE… DONE}