Alythia

When I opened my eyes the next morning, the first thing I noticed was the unfamiliar ceiling above me.

I was in a spare room in Elric's house. He lived with his father, who kindly offered me to stay in an extra room. The house was quite moderately sized, definitely quite a bit smaller than your usual modern detached house in the suburbs, but it seems like one of the bigger places in the village.

The house felt quite empty.

It seemed his mother had died years ago during a civil war within the country, and his sister was away studying in a country famed for its education, Lorendor. Studying wasn't something for me though so I wasn't too interested in learning more. I changed into a long-sleeved dress that reached past my knees, made of a rough yet comfortable fabric. The dress was a deep green color, faded from years of wear, with some embroidery along the neckline and cuffs. Elric's father had given it to me yesterday, hand-me-downs from when Elric's sister. They were old and patched but far better than the rags I had worn before. I felt grateful for their kindness.

After noticing the mirror in the room, I decided to take a closer look at my reflection. I had never really examined my appearance before, and I was fascinated by how I looked in the mirror. Though the mirror was a bit cloudy, I could confirm again my eyes were a deep shade of blue with my facial features looking so adorable that I was sure I'd classify as a beauty. I look a bit young now, but give me a few years and I'll definitely grow to be a world-class beauty.

Definitely.

Staring at myself in the mirror, I couldn't help but pull and play with my cheeks a bit. Since magic exists in this world, nothing is stopping me from being a real-life magical girl! I did a little twirl before striking a dramatic pose. As I reveled in the feeling of being unstoppable, I suddenly noticed Elric's reflection in the mirror, watching me amusedly from the doorway.

"Let's go, I'll show you around the village."

"... yes."

I don't think the real-life magical girl thing is happening.

...

Breakfast? We didn't have breakfast. It seems the villagers didn't typically eat in the morning. Elric's father went to the fields to farm, and Elric offered to let me tag along as he went about his business.

As we walked, Elric pointed out various landmarks, such as the chief's house, the village square, and… yeah that’s about it. We eventually reached the magician's house, slightly isolated at the edge of the village. It was a plain-looking wooden cabin that was more ordinary than I expected.

Knock Knock

“Coming!”

After a bit, the magician opened the door and invited us in. The magician himself was an elderly man with a long white beard and a set of long plain robes. I couldn't help but notice various dried plants and jars littered on shelves along the wall. The only thing that separated this from some pharmacy was the long staff being grandly displayed on the wall.

After Elric handed over the items he had gathered from the forest, I decided to show my gem and mushroom to the magician for an appraisal.

"This gem is a small monster core" he explained. "Its size makes it not too valuable, though. As for the mushroom, it's interesting, but I've never seen one like it. I can't tell you how to use it."

With a sigh, I thanked the magician for his time before returning with Elric for lunch, the sole meal of the day. We had a simple meal of bread, cheese, and a hearty vegetable stew. To be honest, I would rather have just not eaten anything, but that would’ve looked too suspicious. Afterwards, Elric went to his workshop behind the house to craft tools for his future trips to the forest. With nothing better to do, I decided to explore a bit more of the village on my own.

I didn't really have a set destination in mind. It was nice have gotten out of the forest, but now I didn't really know what to do. As I walked, I found myself at the village square. It seemed like most of the people around during this time were either women or children. Overhearing two women talking about a wagon ride to a city, my curiosity piqued, I approached them to try and get some more information.

"Um, excuse me. I heard there's a carriage to the city?"

They turned to look at me. One of them with kind eyes and a gentle smile, responded, "Yes, that's right. There's a carriage heading to Caeloria in three days."

"Really? Can anyone go? I asked, my eyes lighting up with hope.

The two women chuckled

"It'll cost you three silver coins, dear." One replied

“You also need to ask if your parents are okay with it first.” The other added.

So it’s possible! I just need some money. As I chatted with them some more, I came to the realization that it might be harder than I thought. A single silver coin was almost a week’s budget for their families, so three would be… an amount that’ll be difficult to get within three days. And on top of that…

"We usually just help each other in return.”

“I don’t think anyone is willing to pay in coin.”

After walking around the village some more, I realized what the two women said really were the case. People didn’t seem to transact using money. Feeling disappointed and out of ideas, I walked back to Elric's house. When he emerged from his workshop, I asked him about going to the city. I felt a bit bad for freeloading at his place already so I just asked if he knew of anything I could do to make some money.

Elric scratched his head, seeming uncertain.

"To be honest, I'm not sure. Money isn't really a big thing around here."

Despite him saying it was fine for me to stay as long as I want, I insisted on finding a way to leave ASAP. I didn't like the feeling of freeloading.

It was at that moment that Elric's father came back from the fields, overhearing our conversation. "Why not try helping the magician?" he suggested. "He might need some assistance and could pay you."

Elric quickly interjected, "But Alythia doesn't know magic."

"Uh, I think I can," I admitted, surprising Elric. While it was true I could use magic, I remembered what he told me before. "But I don't have a wand."

Elric's eyes widened, and he had an idea. "I can make one using the small gem you found in the forest." He then took the gem from me and disappeared into his workshop.

After some time, he reemerged with a beautifully crafted wand. Ok, beautiful was an exaggeration, but nevertheless, it was still a wand. It was quite simply a smooth wooden stick about 30cm in length with the gem affixed to one end.