A sea of shop tents, stalls, and wagons dominated the outskirts of Reisparte. Without the inner town buildings just modestly rising above the marketplace serving as directional markers, it would be easy to get lost in the motley maze. Essairyn would have loved to spend the rest of the day milling about in the vibrant confusion and appreciating the unique wares, but she figured that could be saved for after she found the school Chona had mentioned.

"Will you really go back tomorrow to the Andelrin's?" Akari glanced at Essairyn from the corner of her eyes, and the girl looked back at the fox on her shoulder with nonchalant uncertainty.

"Maybe, I'm not sure."

"You promised the little boy you would, but you were just being nice?"

A twinge pricked the girl's consciousness. Jerry had taken a liking to Essairyn and was disappointed to see her depart so quickly after arriving at Reisparte. So as a young child would, he took Essairyn's agreement to return tomorrow to visit Leia's candy shop together as a promise.

"I suppose I should go..."

Banran and Chona had laughed and assured it was fine to reject being their son's playmate as a grown adult herself but that she was welcome in their family anytime. However, since they had even given her some money and items out of appreciation for her help with the beast demon and fixing of the wagon, Essairyn felt obligated to honor the little boy's wish.

Sighing, she peered inside the leather money pouch gifted to her and tried to make out what each of the coins were by comparing them to the price signs and sales chatter. Her magic cache had already safely stored the palm-sized jars of spice, two healing potions, and perfume bottle she had also been bestowed. Chona was extra thoughtful in specifically giving the charmingly clement fragrance that she had first showed Essairyn in her Choerin perfume line.

"I wish I knew how much each coin was... why are there so many different types?" She stared crossly at the eighteen coins of six different engravings and sizes. Three were white, four were golden, nine were silvern, and two were coppery.

"I'd help except the currency looks different from my time period."

"It's okay Akari, thanks anyway. You've helped me a lot already."

"T-that—! Um, I guess..." The fox turned away, feeling a bit guilty about the girl's casual gratitude. "Anyway, I'll catch you later~ I'm going to walk around a bit myself." Akari hastily hopped off the girl's shoulder and scampered away into the throng.

"Huh? O-okay." Essairyn didn't notice Akari's hesitance or mind her departure as a small, lustrous jewel in a glass case from a nearby vendor had caught her attention. Its color, the most brilliant hue of emerald green that she had ever seen, had popped out of all the sights in the market.

"This little beauty caught your eye, huh miss?" The shopkeeper inquired with a crafty smile.

Essairyn bobbed her head enthusiastically, barely even registering the merchant's face due to staring so intensely at the gem. Deep lime green was one of her favorite colors. It had a beautiful richness and mysteriousness to it that reminded her so vividly of life.

"It's a very rare and special jewel imbued with great magic! A real treasure worth fifty eleuars, but it's not for sale." He wagged a sorry finger, but before Essairyn could even feel disappointed, he continued.

"However, you can buy one of these jewels instead." He pointed to a shallow basket of dark virescent jewels below the glass case. "They're the same stone. All these need are a little shining with some magic, and it'll look just like this one. And once it's shined up, you can use the great magic locked inside! Simply wear it, and the magic naturally off your body will unlock it in no time!"

Essairyn raised her eyebrow. She sensed no magic coming from the green jewel or the darker ones below. If they held any magic, then with this large amount of jewels she should've felt at least a trace. But despite her suspicions, she still wanted this sparkly stone for herself.

"I'll take this one." She picked up a teardrop shape from the basket.

"Good choice," cheered the shopkeeper. "Just two eleuars, miss."

In her excitement, Essairyn had neglected to remember that she still didn't know currency and could be easily swindled out of her proper change or even the worth of the object in question. Oof, why didn't I ask how much this was? Essairyn mentally banged her head for being too consciously polite to inquire about the worth of the Andelrin's gifts.

Although she could try selling items of her own, such as the bear claw, or jaguar tooth and scales she had picked up last night, she had no idea if such items from demons could even sell much less their possible worth. Let's start small and pretend we're bargaining... A devious glint of satisfaction flashed across Essairyn's eyes which were turned away from the merchant. Hopefully my intuitions are correct about these coins values based on size and color... I can always pretend I took the wrong coin if it's more than expected. Or... would that be too suspicious? I already look out of place here... Welp, here goes..

"Ahem." She cooly held up the largest silver coin and presented it in front of the shopkeeper. He gave a disgruntled look at the sight of the coin and crossed his arms.

"I said two eleuars, miss. But fine, I'll give it to you for a hathe eleuar, okay?" He stated gruffly with a sigh and waited for the girl to produce the coins.

Essairyn blinked, wondering if this shopkeeper had been trying to cheat her after all. Nevertheless, she still didn't know what an eleuar or hathe eleuar was or if she even had one. The only thing she did know was that the coin she was holding wasn't either.

While she hastily devised a plan to both haggle and learn, a hooded man appeared on her left. She nearly flinched at the man's sudden approach. Essairyn hadn't perceived his presence at all when he came near. His steps and aura were silent and natural like air impalpably drifting.

"Imbued with great magic?" The hooded man addressed the shopkeeper. "Certainly when these stones are purified, they can hold great magic, but they hardly hold any of their own. To even purify one to that state would require an enormous amount of magic. Two eleuars?" He scoffed and gestured at the coin Essairyn held. "It's not even worth a pynce."

Indeed, the displayed jewel had taken the shopkeeper several years to purify, and that was after he received it partially purified from a trade with an adventurer. He originally thought he was scammed. But after purification, he acquired many more not yet purified, and it soon became his scam.

The hooded man turned toward Essairyn. "Do you have an eythe pynce?" He extended his hand gracefully, a contrast to his suspicious, travel-worn appearance.

Thinking he could very well be the merchant's partner in crime, she scrutinized him with doubtful eyes while subtly looking at his face underneath the hood. Strangely enough, the hood concealed everything in darkness except for his softly smiling mouth and sharply defined chin. While deep shadows couldn't be easily cast outside due to this world having no sun, it bothered her that he was basically faceless except for under his nose. Despite his anonymity, the tone of his voice and presence felt like déjà vu. Essairyn couldn't pinpoint why she felt this way. She figured it was just the common occurrence of mistakenly taking a stranger for someone familiar.

Since he had spontaneously helped her, she was still grateful despite her skepticism. A partner in crime couldn't possibly look this blatantly suspicious right? Essairyn placed the pynce back into her bag and saw she had four smaller silver coins and two even smaller copper ones. Since the pynce was silver colored, she figured the smaller silver one might be an eythe pynce. So, she took and placed it in the man's hand.

"This is a hathe pynce." The man suppressed a snort at her blunder done so confidently. She had even placed it on his palm instead of giving it to the merchant. When her eyes widened in embarrassment, and she snatched the coin back, he couldn't help a chuckle from escaping.

"There you go." A teasing tone edged his mellifluous voice a she retrieved a copper coin, snapped her head toward him with a glare, and handed the coin over to the shopkeeper. She then turned to the stunned shopkeeper with a curt thanks, spun on her heel, and left the stall.

How spirited. No thanks to me who helped her, huh? With a smile, he easily jogged after her. "As a newcomer, you should be careful with these vendors. They'll spin all sorts of stories to sell something."

Essairyn flicked her eyes up at the man for a second and continued speed walking. "Thanks, I will," she replied tersely.

"You're welcome." A satisfied smirk played at the edges of his mouth. He had gotten her reluctant thanks. "Take care then, lady."

"Wuh—!" Essairyn was already halfway to an automatic retort when she realized the man was no longer teasing or following her. He had left just as suddenly and mysteriously as he had came. She felt an odd ambivalence rising up from her chest. On one hand, she wanted to swiftly flee the embarrassing scene, but on the other, she wanted to properly thank the man and make his acquaintance. While she wouldn't be able to know until later when she learned currency, it appeared that he had been indeed honestly helping her.

"Ugh.." She rubbed her head in vexation. Even though their meeting was fleeting, he felt uncannily familiar. The more she tried to grasp the impression, the more enticingly it danced away. Just who are you? Why did you help me? She almost wished to chase after him for a name. But pridefully, she stood still for a moment in the middle of the street. Then slowly, she turned and left the market.

The stalls and vendors gave way to quaint stone houses and buildings, and the dirt streets became lined with cobblestone sidewalks. After a couple minutes of searching for the school, she reached an intersection. Peering down each street, she spotted lettering above a door a few buildings away that read, "The Academy, Reisparte Regional School." Just as she began turning the corner, she heard a loud commotion from behind her.

"A man just fell from the sky!" A passerby proclaimed to the surrounding people as he stomped past Essairyn. She swiveled in the direction he was going and saw the people amass in the middle of the street.

"Is it another traveler? They sure have been appearing frequently." A woman commented to her friend as they hustled over. At the mention of traveler, Essairyn rushed to the growing crowd and nudged her way inside.

"He landed in the middle of town no less!"

"It's a wonder he didn't injure his back falling. Perhaps because he's a traveler?"

"Aww, the poor boy looks so confused. He's rather cute, don't you think?"

At the center, a young man, who looked to be around her age, was sitting on his behind on the dirt street. He was rubbing his lower back and holding his head in shock. He wore a powder blue button-down, dark navy jeans, and yellow ocher boots.

As a potential fellow traveler, Essairyn was instantly determined to get to know him. Striding past the gaggle of onlookers, she stretched out her hand in greeting. He had sandy brown hair that messily yet handsomely framed his angular face, vivid chestnut eyes that shone up at her in surprise, and a light honey complexion that complemented his ruggedly boyish looks. He blankly stared at her hand for a moment before extending his own. She grasped his hand as soon as it was within reach and quickly tugged him up.

"Come on!" She exclaimed as he stumbled onto his feet.

"H-Huh?" He stammered as she held his hand and dragged him away from the crowd.

"I'm a traveler too! The name's Essairyn." She grinned back at the boy as they raced away. "What's yours?"

"Darren," he shouted as they ran around the corner. "Um, where are we going? And why're we running so fast?" The bewildered boy hardly had energy to think as they raced.

Essairyn slowed down as they neared the school. "To get away of course. And we're here!" She dropped his hand and looked up at the school. It was a old-fashioned stone building barely three stories high with an indigo roof that served as an attic floor. The wooden door matched the roof, and the inscriptions etched above it were painted in gold. A window laid on either side of the door.

"The Academy, Reisparte Regional School?" Darren read.

"Yes, I arrived in this world two days ago and learned that this was the best place to learn about it," she cheerfully explained.

"This world?" Darren uttered perplexedly. "What do you mean—?" He stopped as he took in the sights around him. "Where the hell is this?" He blurted with wide eyes.

"Sol'h'meyr," responded Essairyn calmly.

"Soul-hey what?" He replied loudly. Darren gripped his head in confusion and closed his eyes to deliberate this bizarre turn of events. He couldn't believe what was happening. He had just been walking downtown with his friends after university classes when suddenly he found himself plummeting through nothingness. When he landed, his surroundings were completely different. He was in a rustic town with strange people all around him, and a random girl who casually dragged him off to a school. Apparently he was a 'traveler,' and so was she.

"It's a lot to take in, I know." She expressed gently with concerned eyes. It was just the other day that she felt the same rush of emotion as he was feeling now.

"It's just—" Darren began. He squeezed his eyes and continued with slow words. "I was just with my buddies in the city. We had just left the campus dorms, and we passed by this store that had this beautiful painting in the window, so I stopped to look at it, but they had gone ahead, so I went to catch up to them but then suddenly I was—" He shook his head in disbelief and stared blankly into space. This had to be a dream or some nefariously well done scheme by his friends and family. But it just wasn't logical to suddenly find oneself on a highly realistic and expansive movie set. It was also unlikely that he got knocked out. But then he thought maybe he had and that this was, in fact, a dream while he was unconscious.

Reading the change in his expressions as he tried to deduce his situation, Essairyn remarked, "If you're thinking that this is a dream. It isn't."

Darren looked her in shock. She had read his mind. "You do realize that's exactly what someone in a dream would say?"

Essairyn snorted. She felt like that line belonged to her had she not been thrown in a forest as opposed to a town. "Sorry to break it you, but I'm 108% real."

The boy blinked. "108%?" He couldn't help catching that eccentric detail.

Essairyn coughed, a little self-conscious. "Er yeah, it's my way of saying more than 100%. Instead of 110%, I thought 108% was more meaningful because eight is infinity on its side. So, 108% means everything plus infinity..." She had made up that idea when she was little, and satisfied with the symbolic reasoning behind it, 108% had stuck with her since. She waved the air to divert the conversation back on track. "Anyway, this definitely isn't a dream. I and Sol'h'meyr definitely exist along with you. I arrived here the other day, and when I woke up, I was still here. Can't you feel it? It feels too real right?"

Apprehension creeped into a corner of his mind. She was correct. He felt very much awake; this world looked very much real, and she looked very much alive. Earlier, he hadn't really registered the feeling of her hand in his. So in a daze, he reached for the girl to double check if she was actually real. He hardly realized that his arm was moving until she preemptively clasped his hand. Startled, he tried withdrawing his hand, but she firmly gripped it. With a fierce gaze, she yanked his hand, and his body stumbled forward. Essairyn stopped his body by clutching his shoulder with her other hand. Then in a smooth motion, she slapped a palm on his face.

"Do you believe me now?"

Stunned, Darren was transfixed on the girl's lavender eyes. At first, they looked to be a gray-blue mixed with light sienna, but she, in fact, had purple irises. This in itself was unbelievable, an almost clear indication that she was imaginary, like a fictional character. But the transient, subtle feeling of being deprived of air as she yanked him forward was contradictory. Even now, he could starkly feel the pain ebbing away in his wrist and the sting of her slap fade away. All he could feel now in this moment was the intense pounding of his heart and the pleasant warmth of her hand on his cheek. Closing his slightly ajar mouth which he had opened in shock, Darren got his bearings again and glanced away awkwardly. Observing this, Essairyn dropped her hand.

"Yeah, it hurt." He admitted while clutching his chest. His mind instantly spun into a frenzy. If this world is real, then how did I get here? Where is everybody else? His brows furrowed in distress. Does this mean I won't ever see my family and friends again? He glanced at Essairyn who still watching him.

"You...aren't you bothered at all by this?" His words came out softer and more strained than he had expected.

She narrowed her eyes at the question. "I was. I probably still am. But this is my—our new reality. There's likely no way to return to Earth either." She paused for a half-breath as she realized. "Wait, you're from Earth, right?" Considering this was a different dimension, she wouldn't be surprised if he said he wasn't.

Darren picked up on the challenge in her eyes that had promptly turned to curiosity now. From her sharp gaze, it felt he was being tested whether he was strong enough to accept the situation. "...Yes." It was obvious from her question that she was from Earth too. But something about her made him doubt this. If she had just arrived the other day, then he couldn't understand why she had accepted it so quickly. Is she really not at all affected by not being able to return? We might never be able to see anyone we know again. He sighed and turned his head to the side, slightly upwards. "It's like that painting teleported me to another world..." He murmured. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "You don't think—?!"

Essairyn shook her head, knowing what he was going to suggest. "I arrived in a forest actually. It's located on top of this huge cliff several miles away from this town. I wasn't near any painting before I found myself here. I'm not yet sure how or why we traveled to this world, but apparently it's not uncommon for people from Earth to appear here."

Darren wrinkled his brows. "Then.." He trailed off and looked into space again.

"Hey." Essairyn patted his arm. "It took me some time to believe that this wasn't a dream. And there's probably some part of me that still doubts this world is real." She looked directly into his eyes and smiled softly. "But it really is real. This isn't some dream."

Torment began clouding his vision as he held her steady gaze. A lump formed in his throat, and he weakly gulped it down. Seeing his mental anguish, she pursed her lips in a slight frown before forcing a smile and reassuring, "It's not so bad here. This world is quite beautiful, and it has the most amazing creatures in it. And ah!" She clapped her hands in remembrance. "That reminds me, where did Akari go?" She had nearly forgotten about the fox.

"...Who's Akari?" Darren questioned with difficulty, trying to be receptive to her enthusiasm. He knew she was trying to cheer him up. "Another traveler?"

Essairyn shook her head and debated for a moment whether to divulge that Akari was a fox, and a talking one too. "Well, you'll meet her soon enough. But first, let me show you something really cool. Don't be too surprised, ok?"

She lifted her hands in front of Darren and slowly formed a ball of magic. He started back at the initial spark but watched in awe as the magic ball ballooned. She extended the sphere toward him, and he gingerly took it in his hands. The lavender light inside coruscated as if it were dancing, and his eyes sparkled in a similar fashion as he fixed his gaze upon the sphere.

"Is this..magic..?" He laughed incredulously.

"Yes," Essairyn murmured. "Everything is made of magic in Sol'h'meyr." She looked up at him tentatively. "It's almost like some fantasy video game."

"A video game, huh," Darren dryly entertained. "Like one of those stories where you get stuck in one?"

"Yes, and yet at the same time, it isn't just some video game. There's a whole ecosystem, economy, physics, and history. It really is like we stepped into a whole other universe." She gazed up at the sky. "It's both scary and exciting to think about that."

She looked down and caught Darren's eyes. He stared deep into her depths. Even though she said it was scary, she looked completely unfazed by the idea of being in an entirely different world. He sighed and ruffled the top of his head, unsure how to respond. It definitely was a bombshell to be abruptly thrown into an unknown world. He hadn't seen as much of it as Essairyn had seen, so he couldn't clearly see the positives. And everyone and everything he had ever known had been tossed out the door. But in spite of all this, he oddly felt calm in front of her. Perhaps he was comforted by the fact that he wasn't in this alone and that at least she was confident about the circumstances.

As he settled his jumbled thoughts into order while peering at the magic ball, the school door flung open. The two jumped in surprise and looked at the middle-aged man standing in the doorway. He was a little taller than Darren and had graying brown hair, sharp hazel eyes, and pale skin. He wore a slate blue vest over a charcoal shirt, a long cobalt coat with a gold, double striped trim, and stone chinos with an umber leather belt and matching leather loafers. His appearance was a curious blend of some preppy, wizard businessman.

"I heard some voices outside and saw you both in front of the doorway." He peered down at the lavender ball in Darren's hands. "Is that your magic, young man?"

Darren shook his head and handed the magic ball back to Essairyn. At the touch of her fingertips, the sphere shrunk, and she curled her hand as the magic circulated back in her body.

"So it is yours." The man studied the girl, mystified by the strange aura emanating from her. It didn't feel quite human or elemental. And the color of her magic was intriguing. Even though the color of one's magic often reflected the person, he had never seen lavender colored magic before.

He turned toward Darren and didn't sense any palpable magic coming from him. However, it was possible that the girl's aura was overwhelming his magical ability if he did indeed have some. Looking at the two of them together, it was very apparent they weren't from around here. Thus, it was possible they had come to the school for the free lectures on Sol'h'meyr or some other information. He inclined his head in greeting and gestured for them to come inside. "I'm Lachlan. I assume you've come to the Academy for a reason. Please have a seat."

The two entered the school and were led to a table by the window. It was a modest space and rather tiny for an academy, regional campus or not. The majority of the wooden walls were lined with bookshelves, writing boards, and paper diagrams. A few tables laid scattered about the single room. A mahogany door led to another in the back.

"Now tell me your purpose for coming here," Lachlan directed once they sat down and introduced themselves.

Darren looked at Essairyn as she spoke. "We're recent travelers from Earth. I arrived two days ago, and he arrived just today. I was told that the Knight Mage Academy taught people about Sol'h'meyr free of charge. We were hoping you could enlighten us about this world."

Lachlan nodded in understanding, fetched two slim booklets from a box, and placed them in front of the travelers. "This is the official account of our history. It's been passed down from the time of the elemental gods."

Essairyn raised a brow. "Official account? That makes it sound like there are other versions." She picked up the pamphlet which was entitled, "A brief history of Sol'h'meyr."

"Well," Lachlan began as a fleeting shadow passed over his mien, "I guess you could say that this is the propagated account given by the reigning elemental royals. The exact details of events have been missing since the Great Elemental War."

Upon hearing the mention of the same war, Essairyn's mind flashed back to Akari. What exactly happened in this war that caused both of them to react like this? Considering that the world was created with elemental magic, this Great Elemental War must've been quite monumental. She flipped through the booklet which only spanned four small sheets not including the covers. Her eyes immediately spied the name of the war at the end of a paragraph.

It was a losing battle...great destruction wrought upon their kingdoms...split from Sol'h'meyr. ...war would cease...protect Cyrienne...only she could fill the elemental void.... ...fractured the land....another dimension. ...a spacial tear traversed to Earth...dragged countless humans into Sol'h'meyr. ...new creatures known as demons and spirits.... ...later became known as the Great Elemental War.

Essairyn furrowed her brows and questioned Lachlan. "This Elemental War, I've heard about it before. So the other elemental gods were scared of a power imbalance and tried to kill Cyrienne? But then Water and Light left, so they now needed her. But if she's so strong, why didn't she get revenge for her parents?" No matter how she looked at it, Cyrienne was odd. Her actions didn't add up.

"As history described, she acted more human than divine. So it would make sense if she gave the other elemental gods a hard time, especially since now they were all weakened from the war. But she was still the young rain goddess who was stowed away in a castle. Her parents had restrained her powers so that she could be successfully hidden while growing. When the other gods found the castle and sealed her power with the Water and Light sword, they redirected the power to fuel the land while they rested. She probably didn't even realize she was a god until much later."

"I guess that makes sense..." Essairyn trailed off and then peered down at the page again to read the rest of the booklet.

"Along with founding As'pyze and As'rien," Darren interjected after finishing the remaining few paragraphs, "it also said that she created the Knight Mage Academy with the original Knight-Mages. So why are there so many details missing from history and the time after she left for Earth? And who were the Knight-Mages?"

Lachlan's face hardened slightly. "The details were destroyed of course. The elemental royals descended from the gods would never allow their history to be marred. They have too much pride for that. The original Knight-Mages were human, but directly blessed by Cyrienne who wielded a combination of water and light magic, they were just as powerful if not more than the royals."

"So what about now? Where are they? Does the portal still exist?" Darren nearly jumped to the edge of his seat. Even if Cyrienne was no longer here, considering that she was able to transport to Earth through the portal, it probably still existed. The Knight-Mages were her closest aides, so maybe they would know how she was able to travel in reverse and could help them go back too.

Knowing where Darren was leading to, Lachlan's answer was direct in order to stamp down any painful, false hope. "The portal has never been found since she left. And it's likely that it was sealed almost completely because the influx of humans greatly diminished after. But even if you could find it and travel successfully, there's no way to ensure that you would return where and when you had left Earth. Space-time itself would likely prevent you from ever setting foot within millenniums of your original time. As for the Knight-Mages, they were still only human, so they didn't live as long as the elementals. Although their descendants were strong, their power weakened over many generations."

Instantly, the boy deflated. Darren half sighed, half scoffed. He leaned back in his chair and and looked up at the ceiling. The remaining trace of floundering hope in his heart drowned in the somber, swelling reality. Now, it was truly clear that there was no way back. Desolate, Darren just vacantly stared down at the booklet in his hands.

Essairyn looked over at him sympathetically. She handled the news better since she had resolved to live in this world the other day. But a stifled corner of her conscience cried out in guilt. Essairyn squeezed her eyes shut in order to put an end to the gnawing remorse. You're stuck here, so it's okay to live as you want. You don't have to try looking for a way back to Earth. It's okay. You're okay. She opened her eyes and released her subconsciously clenched fists. She determined that this would be the last time she would dwell on the subject.

As Essairyn closed the booklet, she paused at the first line of the history. Tymlune, the timeless one, forged Earth... She mused that this must be the name of the creator god of this world. Various parts of Sol'h'meyr's history shared parallels with other cultures' and religions' creation stories on Earth. A savior, a flood, a new kingdom... Of course now, she was starting to question all the religions of the world. A droll smile plastered her lips. If only the people back home knew this...

However, a world that was only eight millennia old seemed like an infant to Essairyn. It wasn't possible that Earth could exist for billions of years while Sol'h'meyr was barely even a speck in the bucket of Earth's time. But seeing as Sol'h'meyr was relatively advanced for a civilization not even ten thousand years old, perhaps the elemental gods had created Sol'h'meyr during the age of rapid human development. Sighing, she turned to Lachlan again.

"Could you teach us about currency, demons and spirits, elementals, and magic more?" If they were going to survive in the world, they needed to know more than just history. Currency was first on Essairyn's mind after the embarrassing scene at the market. But the rest was of especial interest to her.

"Of course, I was meaning to teach you just that." Lachlan took out a sheet of paper and pen from his magic cache. He actually did mean to move onto those subjects, but he was curious to why she mentioned currency first. She didn't completely come off as the practical sort to him.

"An eleuar is worth sixteen synde, and a synde is worth sixteen pynce. Both eleuars and syndes come in whole, hathe, and quarthe forms while pynces also come in two additional eythe and seythe forms." Lachlan further explained that the partial forms meant half, quarter, eighth, and sixteenth. Eleuars were made of ra'lerium, a white metal with a faint ice blue gleam. Syndes were made of gold, and whole to quarthe pynces were made of silver, and eythe and seythe pynces of copper.

After Lachlan finished with a deft flourish of his pen, Essairyn gawked at the accurate representations of coin sizes and engravings, comparing them to the ones in her pouch.

"So, if I'm understanding this right, I have one eleuar, two hathe eleuars, four syndes, five pynces, four hathe pynces, and one eythe pynce?" Of course, she had spent one eythe pynce earlier on the green jewel.

"Correct." Lachlan suppressed a twitch of his brow. The girl had supposedly just arrived yesterday, but she already had an ample amount of money. She couldn't have possibly stolen it, but the nice leather coin pouch suggested otherwise.

Based on what Lachlan had said a mere pynce could buy, the Andelrins had been rather generous with her. For a short time, she could live nicely on this money while trying to settle into this world. On that thought, however, she flashed her eyes over at Darren. She was already traveling with a bottomless pit that was Akari, so if she took another another travel buddy, the money would definitely run out much quicker. Regardless, she was still intent on hooking Darren into adventuring with them.

"Do you know the value of these items, if any?" Essairyn retrieved the beast demon items from her magic cache.

Once again, Lachlan repressed the surprise on his face. If this girl already knew how to access her magic cache, then it would be an easy feat to pickpocket normal civilians with her control of magic. But it was more likely she had been killing demons and selling their drops. This was common practice among adventurers and mercenaries alike.

However, these items before him were from rampaging beast demons, a form that anyone hunting them would strive to avoid at all costs in order to stay alive. For her to kill such dangerous creatures single-handedly, she'd need raw strength of at least rank C. To think a traveler just two days old in this world had this level of power was disconcerting for Lachlan. Not to mention, she had encountered two in close succession when none should have been in the area unless— She arrived in the Spirit-Demon Forest?! But how did she get down the cliff—?

While Lachlan was bursting with questions, he exhibited none of his puzzlement. Calmly, he informed, "This claw is from a second tier bear demon, an erhinde, and is worth one eleuar. The tooth and scales came from a valguarkin, a hybrid jaguar demon of the third tier with faint dragon-blood ancestry. The tooth is worth five eleuars while the scales are each worth one eleuar. However..."

"However?" Essairyn indiscernibly narrowed her gaze.

Lachlan pursed his lips. "That is what they're worth, but since it's obvious you're still new here, some merchants might try swindling you for less..." With those kinds of high-value items, she should have much more money on hand than currently. While Reisparte was known for its illustrious market trade, it was equally infamous for swindling the ignorant that often visited.

"Ahhh...." Essairyn uttered with a knowing nod. Lachlan's words reminded her of the hooded man from earlier. He had said the same thing.

"Then spirits and demons, elementals, and magic?" Her words came out in a slight rush of excitement, making Lachlan faintly smile.

"Yes.." He flipped over the page and once again speedily scribbled down information. "Demons and spirits are classified by numbered tiers instead of alphabetic ranks like for Mages and Knights." Essairyn already knew about classifications from Akari, so she mentally jotted down anything new. Most of it was more detailed statistics on rank compositions between species. The gist was that high-tiers and high-ranks made up only one or two percent of the population.

"...your magic control is double of your magic capacity. For demons and spirits, it's also double, but for elementals, it's quadruple. Lastly, besides the magic cache, inventories can also be synthetically produced inside gemstones with large magical capacities. These are the same stones which are commonly used by mages as amulets for storing m'u."

Ending on the last string of information, Lachlan returned the pen to his inventory and handed the paper to Essairyn to store in her magic cache. Darren eyed the hidden inventories with some envy. Even if he was still getting over the fact that he could never return to Earth, the reality of magic enraptured him. After all, he was all too familiar with video games and their virtual fantasy worlds. But even despite that, the conception of magic would be enchanting, perhaps frightening too, for anyone.

"How long do you think I have to train until I can have one of these magic caches too?" Darren asked Lachlan. When he had tried to open his magic cache, he disappointedly found out that it was nonexistent.

The man scrutinized the boy for a few moments and then did the same to the girl before replying, "Essairyn definitely overwhelms your trace of magical ability when close to her. But it's undeniable that it's there. With consistent training, you'll be able to create a rudimentary magic cache and possibly even use basic magic spells."

Darren's eyes brightened, making Lachlan subtly smile. "Compared to the first humans in Sol'h'meyr, I suppose you're better off. Magical ability increased slightly from generation to generation. Children became stronger than their predecessors. So human mages were slow in the making. Although you won't be able to reach the magical level needed to be considered a 'Mage,' your talent lies in becoming a 'Knight.' Like most humans, your magic is deeply embedded in your body, enhancing your physical strength."

Both Darren and Essairyn were engrossed. This free lesson had truly been insightful no matter how brief. But the ever analytical Essairyn questioned why travelers skipped that evolution process, or if some humans were brought over for a reason. Lachlan pondered a moment before answering.

"Since humans were originally forced into Sol'h'meyr, it would seem that it was just an unfortunate, unseen consequence of the war. However, some travelers have acclimated well and are glad to have left Earth. Of course, others became distraught, but with the creation of Neu'arth, they soon feel right at home because of its similarity to Earth. Not to mention, we get travelers from various cultures and time periods, so there's a place in Neu'arth for everyone. And because of its magical barrier, people can live in Neu'arth without worrying about stray magical creatures or other dangers. That also includes a health care system that can treat any kind of illness."

Essairyn's mouth dropped open a little. "That's amazing! They can treat any kind of illness?"

Lachlan nodded. "The magical barrier prevents any kind of magical discharge, so upon entering Neu'arth, you automatically agree to these terms. The only ones who can use magic are the Secret Service Protection Agency, or the SSPA, who protect Neu'arth. When you become a citizen, you give up any magic generated beyond your regular m'u. In return, you receive free treatment whenever you get sick. Civilians can't use magic, but magic still powers Neu'arth quietly and efficiently. Technology combined with magic has greatly increased the standard and ease of life."

"Wow." Essairyn gasped. "So magic can be used in such a way in society.." Thinking back to Earth and its countless wars, it seemed that finally, some place had gotten it right. Magic was the key to human prosperity.

Lachlan smiled with a shade of stoniness. "Yes, it's quite an example for the rest of Sol'h'meyr. However, not everyone will agree to such a construct of society in a world of magic."

Essairyn knitted her face disconcertion. For sure, it was counterintuitive to bar using magic in a world of magic. Humans were also the foreign race in a land where the elementals had lived for thousands of years prior. So, some elementals were bound to find Neu'arth unpleasing. Thus, no matter what kind of world it was, she deduced that as long as intelligent beings resided in it, power struggles were certain to transpire. And for Sol'h'meyr, magical prowess was authority.

"All that aside, what are you two going to do now?" Lachlan posed. Naturally, he was now invested in the two and curious to their plans. He was especially fascinated by Essairyn.

The two looked at one another, and Darren spoke first. "Since there's no way to return to Earth, I guess I'll head to this Neu'arth..." Hearing Darren's answer, Essairyn scooted to the edge of her seat toward him.

Lachlan inclined his head in agreement. "I suggest traveling north to the city of Byar'non. The Academy campus there has a knights facility while Reisparte only has a standard educative school. It's a short distance and can be traversed by foot in less than a day. If you decide to join the Knight's Order, then you'll get free training which will be helpful for surviving in this world while traveling to Neu'arth. The main campus right outside of Neu'arth too, if you wish to practice your magic and learn more about Sol'h'meyr."

The man paused to gauge Essairyn's possible response to his next words. "And be careful showing your magic in public places. A shady group has been causing trouble around As'pyze lately, and they seem to target mages. As long as you don't use magic though, you should be safe."

Essairyn pursed her lips. "Can't they recognize my magical ability like you did?"

"No, only high class mages can. And don't worry, I'm not a dangerous person." He added that last part upon seeing a glint of suspicion flash in the girl's eyes.

"Well thank you for teaching us. I really appreciate your time." Essairyn nonchalantly smiled as she got up to leave. She picked up the small history book with the loose paper tucked inside and waved it in the air. "And thanks also for this book." She opened up her cache and placed the booklet inside.

Just as Darren was about to stand up, they heard a scratching noise from the window nearby. It was Akari who was standing sideways on the window ledge. Essairyn looked at her in surprise and walked over to open the window.

"Do you have any idea how hard it was to find you?" Akari interjected before Essairyn could speak. "Actually, I figured you'd be in a place like this, but I hate walking around in public unnecessarily by myself."

Essairyn laughed as the fox jumped onto the table and trotted over to Darren. Akari leaned into his shocked face and stared at him intently. "You're rather handsome, aren't you?" She remarked casually, making him open his mouth in speechlessness.

He edged back in his seat and pointed a finger at Akari. "A-A talking animal!"

"Hey, didn't anyone teach you it's rude to point fingers?" Akari huffed and twirled away.

"Who? You know this.. fox?" Darren gawked at Essairyn. She smirked and nodded.

"I met her in the Spirit and Demon Forest. She tried passing off some pursuers to me, but in the end, we decided to adventure together."

Akari licked her paw. "What? A god's gotta survive."

"A god?" Darren exclaimed.

"Yes, I am the almighty god Akari!" The fox haughtily puffed out her fluffy chest. "I just recently reincarnated, that's all."

"You're Akari?"

"I just said I was, oh smart one," the fox piped sarcastically.

"Reincarnation?"

"Your face is going to stay surprised forever if you keep that up," Akari dryly joked.

"What the—" Darren shot up from his chair and held his head in disbelief as he backed away from the table. "Shhhit. This is crazy. I've gotta be crazy." He laughed and stared incredulously at Akari. She just looked at him unamused. He propped a hand to his chin and placed a hand to his hip. "You really talked," he stated very seriously. "You know, it really didn't strike me that I was in another world. I still felt like I was on the set of some historical fantasy movie even after—" He cut short and felt his cheek. Even after she... He discreetly side-glanced at Essairyn. "But you talked; I swear you did! Ughh.... Shhhit." He sunk dramatically to a crouched position with his forehead perched on his knees.

"Well yeah, duh." Akari rolled her eyes. "So dramatic~"

The furriness, the intelligent eyes, the smirk on her face... It was like seeing one of the those smiling animals in funny cards walk right off the paper. Except, she was even more realistic and indisputably three dimensional. Darren abruptly stood up and strode over to Akari and swiftly picked her up into the air.

"Oh, hey! Hey! What're you doing?! Put me down!" The fox shrieked.

"Holy shit you're real." Darren goggled at Akari.

Essairyn snatched Akari away and held the fox in the crook of her arms. "Be gentle with her." She petted the fox on her head.

"This is more touching than I had come here for," Akari groused under her breath. "Just wait till I get stronger, and you won't be able to pick me up.."

Lachlan finally spoke up. "The god Akari you say? You have quite the dangerous traveling companion."

Akari huffed haughtily, "Yes, I was quite notorious in my previous reincarnation."

"Are you sure you want to travel with someone like that? Although common knowledge is limited among humans, a fair number still know the deeds attached to her name. You'll likely get no favors for being with her."

This entire time, Lachlan had been watching their reunion. Of all things to add onto the abnormality of Essairyn, she yet again surprised him by being friends with Akari. Just who are you? He couldn't stop the shiver in his heart and pushed down a nagging intuition in his gut.

"Well," Essairyn began as she put Akari back on the table, "sounds like fun." She flashed a toothy smirk. This was now the second time she had been warned, but she honestly wasn't too worried. Regardless of her inherent powers and the possible danger, she liked the fox's company and was determined to make her a true friend that she could trust.

The fox turned away to hide her growing grin and glee upon hearing those words. "You sure have a strange taste for traveling partners." She tried to scoff.

Essairyn grinned. "What? I think I have the cutest traveling partner."

Akari's eyes widened and she looked away with a bashful seriousness. "Anyway, are you done here or what? Let's get moving." Akari really couldn't fathom what that girl was thinking even after being warned twice. Ugh, this human! Why're you so—?! Essairyn kept shaking up her emotions despite her efforts to not get attached to anyone else ever again.

The group offered their gratitude, and Essairyn, about to bid farewell, suddenly remembered something. She plunked a hand down to her jean pocket and carefully poked around inside it. Feeling her fingertips come into contact with a smooth surface, she firmly grasped the small jewel that was tucked away in the crevice of the seam and held it in front of the man.

"Do you have any string that I could use for this gem? I recently bought it at the market, and apparently you need to wear it in order to purify it. Well..." Essairyn scratched her head. "It's probably a gimmick, but it'll still make for a nice token."

Lachlan's pupils grew at the sight of the gem called ayvirdizite and the nearly indiscernible fluctuations that roved about its center. Ayvirdizite was indeed tedious to purify, but it was the absolute best for storing magic. And once purified, not only would it reveal a striking, rich green, it could also change color depending on the direction which light hit it. Thus, it was both a display of prestige and style when wearing this jewel with pleochroic and highly refractive qualities.

Yet even beyond this, the most exceptional, lesser-known feature of ayvirdizite laid in its ability to augment a user's absorption of m'u from the magical atmosphere. Although the additional m'u would be directly absorbed by the gem, and the enhancement would be null if the gem wasn't in direct contact with the mage's skin, many high level mages still madly sought after fully purified ayvirdizite. It was the only gem which enhanced magical absorption at a fixed rate rather than a fixed amount. And gems which enhanced in fixed amounts were already rare.

However, this extraordinary phenomenon came with a catch. It could only be activated under one condition: extremely rapid purification. This meant that only C-ranked mages or higher could possibly trigger this hidden potential. And gaining the effect became immeasurably more difficult to achieve in larger pieces of ayvirdizite.

Just as he had suspected earlier, Essairyn had been inherently blessed with superior magic. Lachlan detected barely perceptible fluctuations that were the telltale signs of extremely rapid purification in her ayvirdizite. She was a recently descended traveller, but her initial state was already at least rank C. She would continue accelerating in power and skill and perhaps even reach a level that could dangerously unbalance Sol'h'meyr's power dynamics with humans. Anyone power-hungry that knew would either try to exploit or kill her. Lachlan could only sigh inwardly.

With slightly furrowed brows, he affirmatively answered her request and fetched a bobbin of thin, white string. While she cut her desired amount of string, he informed Essairyn that the gem was called Ayvirdizite. She thanked him for everything once again, and the trio left the school thereafter.

Several seconds after the door shut, Lachlan addressed the cloaked man now standing next to him.

"What're your plans for now?"

The man garbed in all black revealed a glimmer of a smile. He hadn't expected to run into the girl from the market again in the academy. He had been hiding in the back room during the trio's visit and joined Lachlan's side after their departure. "I'm going to scout the area; it hasn't been long since they've entered Reisparte. If I can preemptively find out their plans, I'll head for Byar'non and secure the city."

Lachlan faintly dipped his head in agreement. "Another group will set out to help you capture them. We need to make sure that this time it'll be successful."

The man nodded under the guise of his hood and soundlessly glided out the indigo school doors. Lachlan watched the man leave with profound eyes as his mind stirred tempestuously.

Unbeknownst of their exchange, Essairyn decided to visit a shop before they departed Reisparte as it was late afternoon. Upon opening the door, Essairyn was struck by the honeyed scents that wafted deliciously inside Leia's candy shop. It was a cute little store lined with shelves of various candies that were loose in mason jars or packaged in clear-topped, ribboned boxes.

She walked over to the counter where a young girl was standing behind and inquired if she knew a little boy named Jerry Andelrin. The cashier chuckled when she heard Jerry's name and replied that he visited the shop every time he visited Reisparte. Essairyn asked which candies were his favorites, and the young girl led her to a shelf with colorfully labeled tins. She handed Essairyn a rectangular one labeled, "Jelly Gems: Berry Citrus — strawberry and raspberry hard candies with soft honey and lemon centers."

"These sound really good." Essairyn flipped the tin over and looked for its price. It cost only a hathe pynce, so she picked up another and then spied a round tin labeled, "Goldmine — chocolates with crunchy honey bits." She sucked in her breath. These candies sounded better than the ones she knew from Earth. "Ooooh," she murmured excitedly with a truly girlish giggle as she took it from the shelf. "This one sounds really good too." It cost a hathe and eythe pynce. She stacked the tins together and looked over Darren and Akari who were browsing. "Do you guys see anything you like?"

Darren shook his head. "I'm fine." He didn't want to take advantage of Essairyn's kindness. It was enough that he had followed Essairyn like a lost puppy. Even though he was the one who said he would go to Neu'arth, he didn't know north from south here. But Essairyn seemed to know what she was doing and where she was going. And since she was strong and a traveler like him, he felt most comfortable with her. On the other hand, this fox smelt like trouble to him...

Currently, Akari was smacking her mouth and staring intensely at a cylindrical container of sour candies. Her tails swished in a slow, fervent manner.

"Umm, do you want that, Akari?"

Akari jerked away. "Huh, what, no." She jumped off the display table.

Essairyn chuckled. "Well, okay."

She paid for the three tins at the counter and asked the shop girl if she could pass a note to Jerry when he visited Leia's. The girl nodded and gave her a scrap of paper on which Essairyn wrote, "Hi Jerry. I'm sorry I can't stay and join you tomorrow. I'm leaving Reisparte early, so I bought your favorite candies for you. Please enjoy, and my best to your parents. Essairyn." She taped the message on the tin of candies and handed it the girl.

It was true that Essairyn was apologetic to Jerry, but she was too restless and eager to set out for Byar'non. Despite her kindly and empathetic disposition, her selfishness and impatience prevailed even in the simplest of situations. It was this kind of ambivalence in her personality which hindered her efforts to build deep, lasting relationships with others; even though, she was easily able to form friendships, and her connections sought to become closer. No matter her outward selflessness, her acquaintances were many, and the unseen, layered wall surrounding her heart remained. For Essairyn, a child's forced promise was a mere trifle.

"By the way, do you know any good places that sell fruit?"

The shop girl was briefly taken aback by Essairyn's question but professionally answered, "Yes, in the northeast section of the marketplace."

Essairyn smiled. "Thanks again, bye."

Darren gave her a curious sidelong glance as they exited. "Fruit?"