[TVL] 59 – A Country She Would Like To Visit

“Is there a country you would like to visit?”

Callisto had asked this question when Alana had fallen asleep, and her life was in danger. Alana was twelve years old. The medicine was not working, and she was getting weaker day by day. Callisto, who took care of her constantly, kept telling her that he loved her, that he liked her, and that he wanted to marry her, but Alana didn’t know what love, liking, or marriage were.

It wasn’t so much that she was too young but that she was too emotionless to be interested. Alana didn’t mind if she closed her eyes and there was no dawn. She was not afraid of death in the slightest. Still, she knew that Callisto was desperately trying to keep Alana alive. So she played the part of the person he wanted her to be; the person who wanted to live.

She said, “...There is a country in the east called Perdida.” She did not have a specific country in mind, but she thought of all the ancient books she had seen in the library and spoke again. “Nava Serrat?”

“Nava Serrat? Serrat? Why would you want to go there? There is nothing in particular.”

Alana saw the pattern of grapes and snakes carved on the ceiling. “There is black earth and black water in this world,” she said. “There are five places we know of ..., the largest of which is Nava Serrat. There exists a land called Rivas, and it is in abundance there. Even in the country, the places where they were located are rough and are considered barren land where crops do not grow.”

There was no book that described the black soil and water in detail. Books from the ancient times were full of exaggerations and myths that had no basis in fact. However, there was a little bit of truth in them, so Alana pieced together the knowledge from the books and spoke. “The colour black is a curse,” she said. “Some call it cursed earth; some call it demon water. But it’s different. They are difficult to handle with the current technology, but they will be valuable enough to take over the world one day. I wish I could see it with my own eyes.” Alana coughed violently because she spoke at once.

Callisto rubbed her back.

“Thank you. I wonder what the future of Armenia will look like. Perhaps it’ll be a client state of Nava Serrat. There’s such a possibility.”

A thousand-year-old empire? That’s impossible. We have the wisdom of Lorenzo, and the black soil and water may be in Armenia if you search for it.”

As he spoke, Callisto clinked the jug against his cup and offered it to Alana. “It’s time for your medicine. I’ve prepared a new medicine for you today.”

After the water, he handed her a clean vial of blue liquid. It was elaborately decorated.

“You’ve been having trouble with all of your medicines lately, so my father asked an apothecary from Aldo to help you.”

Alana knew the reason why the medicines did not work for her; she was taking too many pills. People were adaptable creatures, so they became accustomed to the medicines themselves, and the medicines lost their effectiveness.

“It seems to belong to an up-and-coming apothecary, who by nature specialises in poison. Tell the Chancellor thank you. I’ll take it.” Alana opened the lid of the vial and poured the medicine into her mouth. There were about fifty kinds of herbs with a sweet flavour.

Callisto took the empty vial and helped her lie down on the bed. “Alana, can I also tell my father about the black earth and water you mentioned earlier? There is wilderness in the northern part of Armenia, isn’t there?”

For Alana, the black soil and water were just small talk at this point. She was merely responding to what Callisto was saying and was not really interested. “But even if we can find it, it will be too much for us. It is an unmanageable useless thing ...A hundred years? No, we may have to wait longer before we can make use of it.” It was too late to stay awake. Even as she spoke, Alana’s eyelids went down of their own accord.