One Way Ticket to the Past
Time...
her gaze sweeping over each notice as she perused the details. Decrees, bounties, and merchant listings filled the board, yet before she could absorb more, a commotion drew her attention.
A young man stood atop a modest wooden podium in the heart of the marketplace, his voice unwavering as he made a bold renunciation.
Man on podium
"I can no longer serve a god who turns a blind eye to suffering!"
His conviction cutting through the murmuring crowd like a blade.
Gasps rippled through the gathering. Some onlookers whispered in hushed tones, their expressions torn between shock and curiosity. Others watched with scorn, their eyes sharp with judgment. A few, however, regarded him with quiet pity, as though mourning the fate that would surely befall him.
stranger 1
"Your claims are spurious!" a man bellowed.
stranger 2
"Blasphemy!" cried another, *his outrage mirrored in the faces around him.*
The crowd stirred restlessly, their murmurs swelling into an uneasy din. Eliana stood rooted in place, watching as the young man met their condemnation with unshaken resolve.
Something about him—his defiance, his desperation—sent a shiver down her spine.
Eliana’s attention wavered, drawn away from the growing crowd and their heated murmurs. Her gaze flickered across the street, landing upon an antique shop nestled between two bustling stalls. Something about it beckoned her—a quiet allure amidst the marketplace chaos.
Without hesitation, she skipped across the cobbled road, slipping through the shop’s doorway just as the small brass bell above it jingled, announcing her arrival.
a gruff voice greeted her.
She turned to find a middle-aged shopkeeper behind the counter, his weathered hands busy polishing a tarnished pocket watch. His keen eyes studied her with mild curiosity.
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