Time to say goodbye
Breaking away from her family was one of the most difficult decisions she had ever made. Not cut off all ties, mind you, but simply learn to stand on her own two feet. She'd never considered herself incapable of doing so before, but the stakes weren't as high back then - when she was nearly immortal in every way - as they were now in her human state. She needed the freedom to fail, suffer the consequences, and, most importantly, learn from her mistakes.
That was why once she or her body reached ‘adulthood’ she had told them she wanted to go and travel the world. They had all but supported her decision. That was until she added that she would like to go alone. If it was before, they would have probably let her go with a simple goodbye and would not have worried if she had been gone a few decades and not kept in touch. Now, they fretted and tried to reason with her that it wasn’t wise. Those decades meant life and death to her now.
"It’s not like I’m vanishing off the face of the planet and not returning for decades," she had explained “I just need some time to find my path. Consider it as me finally, truly leaving the nest. If it makes you all feel better, I'll even call weekly."
She understood their worry. The Eternals- her family, had been dwindling in numbers. Where once stood ten of them, now there were only seven. And one day, whether she herself or them were going to be ready, there will be one less number.
There were arguments and, in the end, not everybody agreed with her decision. But it was her choice. And she had made up her mind.
On her journey, she didn’t really know what her destination was. She was winging it and honestly, it was thrilling. There were plenty of hard times. But those times were worth it for the many friends she made along the way.
Not expecting the sudden change, but also not entirely surprised, she started writing songs. A way for her to tell her stories.
Writing became a habit and soon enough she was piled with stories made into music. It started small when she first got a guitar in one of her travels. She’d sing them to herself when she was having bad nights. When her friends started to take an interest, she sang to them. Later on, it became bigger as she started gathering a crowd wherever she went. Although, the attention her small performances were getting, might be helped by the fact they had a few illusions slipped in them.
Talking and seeing her family members through a screen was of course nothing like seeing them for herself. In one of her performances, she spotted a familiar face among the crowd. At first, she thought of it as a brief error in her perception, so she continued. When her song ended and the crowd dispersed, she was proven wrong by the soft pair of arms wrapping around her. Sersi – and Dane – had said that they were close by and decided to surprise her. She teased that Dane was aging like fine wine. A joke that ironically fitted herself. Now that she was every bit an adult in mind and body.
One of the perks of that being; that she could legally drink now. That was how they spent their reunion. With Dane and Sprite somehow getting drunk and Sersi, ever the responsible one, watching out for them. But way too soon for Sersi’s liking, Sprite decided that she should continue her ‘travels.’ Cause she was pretty sure if she stayed in their company any longer, the next thing she knew, she’d end up following after them.
Even though she was in her mid-twenties now, it didn’t stop Sersi from being able to pick her off the ground with her bear hug. “Be careful Sprite.”
Sprite quickly got out of the hug, as if the alcohol in the bloodstream wasn’t enough, her embarrassment made the tinge on her cheeks, redder. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll be fine!!” She made small shooing motions with her hands, a warm expression on her face. “You guys be careful too!”
They parted ways and Sprite returned to where her friends were waiting.
As time passed, the smaller number of calls she had with her family made her realize she had finally reached her goal of standing on her own. Before, she would’ve called them just to make sure that she had someone out there who she could run back to. Now, whenever she does call them, she actually has a life she could tell them about. She would sing them some of her songs or show them pictures from wherever she was at the moment.
It wasn’t as perfect of human life as she imagined it to be, and of course, some part of her would miss the life she had as an eternal. Even with all its pain, there were still joyous moments she would never trade for anything. Her life then and her life now were incomparable. She had experienced or was experiencing them both. And for that chance alone, she was grateful.