She dreamed.

Essairyn woke up. The shimmering light dappled with the shadows of the rustling leaves entered her vision and ears. A spot on her pillow was slightly damp. A stray, lingering tear rolled off onto the damp patch as she slowly sat up. Ah, I'm still here. She leaned back on the headboard. Images of a cabin family getaway from years past faded away in her mind's eye. The woody aroma and uncomfortableness of being in an unfamiliar bed stayed. A strained smiled traced her lips.

Good morning.

She peered around the empty room and hastily wiped her moist eyes. Flinging the covers off, she hopped off the bed and made for the bedroom door. She gripped the handle, pausing. Then she gently opened it ajar and peeked out. She glimpsed Akari curled up in a cloth with droopy ears. Essairyn watched the soft rise and fall of her body. She opened the door halfway.

"Good morning, Akari."

One of the fox's ears twitched, and her nose wriggled. Essairyn glided over to the groggy fox on the table and bent down. "Good morning~" the girl whispered, staring closely at the little fox.

Akari quivered in a waking up motion. She lifted her head and peered through slitted eyes. Seeing the girl startlingly close to her face, Akari jolted up on all fours and bristled. "Why the heck are you so close?! Watching me?! So creepy!"

Essairyn smiled brightly. "You're rather energetic in the morning."

The fox turned her head and just glared at her from the side. "Sheesh. Way to shock someone awake..."

Essairyn straightened up and stretched her arms. "Hmm~!" She murmured contentedly. "You ready to leave the woods today?"

Akari was stretching in a downwards bend. "Yeah, I'll be glad to be out of those woods!"

The girl's brow quirked. "But you're a fox."

"What does that have to do with anything?" retorted Akari. "Can't a spirit travel like any other creature? Animals don't just live in the forest. Besides, I'm a god; I can go wherever I want, hmph."

Essairyn huffed amusedly. "I suppose so. This is a different world after all."

After taking a bath with the spring water, the girl rearranged the treehouse interior neatly. Inside her magic cache, Essairyn decided to bring the black claw, remains of the food, two containers of water, bed pillow, sheets, and covers, and various woven bags.

"Do you think I should bring this branch?" Essairyn asked. A thick branch as wide as the girl hovered in the air in front of Akari.

"..." The vacant look on the fox snapped to exasperation. "Leave that stupid piece of wood here! Gosh, bringing a freakin' branch in your magic cache of all things..."

Essairyn pouted. "Ehhh, why not? I might need to craft something, you never know!"

The fox rolled her eyes. This girl seriously surprised and amused her to no end. "Whatever weirdo."

"Hey!" The girl poked Akari. "Be nice."

The fox shook off the girl's touch. "Okay....weirdo."

Essairyn clicked her tongue and shooed the fox out of the treehouse. "Ay ay, let's go already, miss foxy."

They made their way to the forest edge and surveyed the bucolic landscape below. Essairyn had decided to travel to the closest town from where the forest was situated. She had considered living in the Spirit-Demon Forest longer after last night's encounters. But while it held plenty of curious mysteries and sights, it held just as many dangers. Until she understood the world better and was aptly able to defend against any stronger enemies pursuing Akari, then it was wiser to live among the non-magical humans.

Additionally, other than delving deeper into the forest and trying to get to the other side where that megacity was shrouded in mist, the only other feasible option was to travel across the nearby sweeping expanse below the cliff. From her vantage point above the ancient tree, Essairyn had plotted out a potential adventuring path. After visiting the first town, she would make her way northeast through the other towns to the metropolis that spanned the right horizon.

"All right!" Essairyn pumped herself up before offering a forearm to Akari. The fox grudging accepted, hopped on, and trotted up to her shoulder. Essairyn smiled wryly and then strolled to the edge of the precipice. Closing her eyes, she breathed in the invigorating cliff air and scrunched her face in contentment. After stretching her arms and raising them above her head, she put them on her hips and gazed at the landscape below.

"HELLOOO WORLD!" Essairyn bellowed, waving her arms enthusiastically, "ARE YOU READYY?!"

Akari's skin jumped up in fright at Essairyn's random shouting. "What the heck!" Akari shouted in vexation. Essairyn burst out laughing. The fox gave a little disgruntled huff. "You're so weird!" If foxes could cross their arms, Akari surely would have in this moment. But paying the vexed fox no mind, Essairyn scooped a secure hand around Akari's back.

"Come on! Let's go!" she shouted, taking a crouched step towards the precipice.

"Huh? What're you—" Akari began before her voice died in strangled screams as they fell through open air. Essairyn had leapt from the cliff in an arch, and the two were now accelerating towards the bottom.

Catching her breath, Akari screeched, "You're insane!!" to a jauntily falling Essairyn. The girl was getting a kick out of the panicking fox, and she felt a strange sense of adrenaline torrenting throughout her. If she didn't know she could fly, she'd never willingly jump off a point hundreds of feet high. Although she consciously had determined that this world wasn't a dream, a part of her was still subconsciously pushing the boundaries to confirm it once again.

Suddenly, Essairyn realized that her hand had slipped from Akari's back. She began to fall faster than the fox, and Akari's eyes bulged in alarm. They were already halfway down the cliff. Before Akari gained substantial distance between them, Essairyn reached a hand towards the fox and released a bolt of magic. It sparked around Akari and slowed her descent. The bewildered fox looked at the girl who had drifted further away.

But Essairyn nonchalantly casted the magic around her, and she too began falling slower. At first, she wasn't sure if the magic would work, but once again, her ability to will things to occur thankfully proved true yet again. I could really get used to this way of casting magic. She grinned and then casted another spell, and a magic circle appeared underneath her. She landed on the circle and looked up at the steadily descending Akari. As soon as the fox also landed, the magic circle started moving towards the ground at an incline. Once they neared the bottom, Akari jumped off into the grass, muttering obscure profanities.

"Whew!" Essairyn breathed as she stepped down, "That was exciting!"

Akari only glared in response. She was stuck with this crazy lady. But, the fox couldn't deny the rush received in her adventurous soul. Though, she would never admit this to Essairyn.

"Looks like this leads to the nearby town," Essairyn said, pointing at the wide, dirt road a few feet away. She had purposefully flown in a diagonal in order to land near the roadside. She walked from the grass onto the bare earth, and Akari followed.

"Aren't you going to fly to the town? That'd be much quicker."

Essairyn pursed her lips, reasoning, "I could, but you can probably only use so much magic in a day, right? Even though I'm not tired, I might as well conserve it for now."

"Hm, I guess that's right," Akari murmured. "I'm pretty sure you have a high regular m'u and magic capacity based on what you're able to do. But revealing your magic to strangers is probably not a good idea anyway, especially since you're a human."

The girl quirked her head. "What's regular m'u?"

The fox sighed. All these questions...it's like I adopted a child. Reluctantly, she droned. "Besides the magic which makes up your body, you also have excess magic which makes you alive. This excess magic is enumerated by what we call regular m'u or magic units. And you regenerate this amount every day. By conserving your energy, you can also stack m'u up to your magic capacity limit."

Essairyn nodded with great interest. She imagined that regular m'u was like a health bar while magic capacity was a mana bar. Although the two were technically comprised of the same units, it made most sense to think of them as separate. If the 'mana' depleted, then the 'health' could be used, but it was likely more dangerous for the individual. Although it was convenient to apply video game mechanics to this world, the two were vastly different. For now, until she increased her understanding, Essairyn applied what she was familiar with and slapped it to fit coherently inside this world.

"Magic is quite complex..."

"Well of course. Magic is the foundation of this entire world."

The girl intently bobbed her head. Just like the studies of biology, chemistry, and physics, magic had now replaced all three fields. Writing it off as some just mystical wonder that couldn't be explained clearly would be imprudent.

"Anyway, those with higher regular m'u can also store higher multiples of their magic capacity. People are ranked from F to S according to their regular m'u. Most humans fall between E and F, the lowest. A and S, the highest and rarest, are mostly comprised by elementals. However, the majority of elementals fall between C and D. Spirits and demons fall in between the two races."

Now the girl understood even more why Akari kept repeating that she was an anomaly. Humans consistently had the lowest magical capabilities. But she had elemental magic and could form objects with it too. It was like she had a cheat. Essairyn rather liked this fact, but it was also bothersome because she wanted to make sense of her abilities and circumstances.

Her old life was ordinary, and while she had been told, and liked to think, that she was talented with a capability to pick up new skills quickly, she didn't want to connect her current magical abilities to such a vain notion. Maybe in my past life I was an elemental? She held her head. Just thinking about the possibilities made her brain throb. Despite this being a magical world, it was inextricably tied to scientific and philosophical theories.

Noticing the girl's inner turmoil, Akari probed, "To much info to handle?"

Essairyn weakly smiled. "No, I was just thinking about things. Please continue telling me more about magic?"

The fox groaned. "I should charge a fee... A berry a minute! You have more berries right?"

"We just ate breakfast!" The girl made a fake aghast face before scooping out a bag of berries from her magic cache. This fox's stomach was a blackhole. Akari's eyes lit up as she popped one in her mouth, making Essairyn laugh. Akari was actually being true to her word and only ate one at a time.

"Okay, so the quantity of regular m'u is innate, but it can be increased through training just like magical ability. The rate of growth varies by person and largely relies on inherent talent. Your magic cache will also increase along with your overall magical strength..."

In this manner, the two strolled briskly on their way. Before long, a medium sized wagon appeared from behind the bend of the cliffs. It looked to be made of cherrywood and was drawn by four stout horses. It had an arched roof, a shuttered window on the left side, and a windowed door on the right. Green curtains draped across a window in the front, and metal accented doors closed the back. It soon caught up with the two adventurers as the morning melted into the afternoon.

"Hello there, young miss," greeted the middle-aged driver, slowing down his wagon to match their pace. "Oh? A fox spirit?" he remarked, noticing that the creature walking beside her was not a dog as he had thought from afar. "Why're you traveling the roads on foot with a fox spirit, miss?"

Clamor arose from inside the wagon at he spoke, and a little head popped out from in-between the green seat curtains. It was a young boy.

"Huh? A girl? And a fox spirit?" observed the inquisitive boy, "What're you doing with a fox spirit?"

"Now now, don't be rude, Gerran," a gentle voice corrected from inside. The little boy scrunched up his face in dissatisfaction. "It's Jerry, not Gerran, mother!" The mother laughed and parted the green curtains. Her son disliked his given name, but she knew one day he'd prefer it over his nickname as an adult.

"Oh my, what's a pretty young lady doing out here in the middle of the roads by herself?" She exclaimed softly. "And what's this? A fox spirit indeed!" It was rare to see spirits and demons outside of their usual habitations. Like the human and elemental civilizations, spirits and demons also had theirs besides dwelling in the forests and wilderness. But it was even more bizarre that one would travel with a human.

Essairyn smiled politely at the family, and Akari rolled her eyes. She was too used to this kind of treatment from humans. After thousands of years, they shouldn't be so surprised about spirits and demons who were originally born out of human thought and emotions.

"I have a name you know," retorted Akari, startling the woman.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You two are..?"

Essairyn glanced from the father to the son and back to the mother again. They seemed like an ordinary family. Maybe she could get a ride to the neighboring town if she was friendly. "Essairyn," she replied. "And this is Akari."

"Akari?" The man echoed thoughtfully. "That name sounds awfully familiar for some reason."

The woman shooed away her husband's remark, saying, "Essairyn, if you're going to the next town, why don't you and Akari travel with us in the wagon? It'd be much quicker and safer than walking. And I wouldn't feel right leaving a girl like you to fend for yourself."

Essairyn smiled gratefully, replying, "That's kind of you to offer. Thank you."

The woman smiled genially and went to open the side door. The two traveling companions stepped up on the door ledge and entered. The mother and son were sitting on green cushioned benches that lined the driver's side of the wagon in a L-shape. The other side was a wall with a door that partitioned the sitting room from the storage room in the back.

They were the Andelrin family. The mother and father were Chona and Banran. Their only son, Gerran, nicknamed Jerry, was eight. They were traveling spice and perfume merchants and had just left the farm town of Cerinalle that was known for its ability to grow a host of crops.

Cerinalle was situated at the eastern tip of the cliff range where the Spirit and Demon Forest gave way to rugged terrain before sloping down to shallow, flat, and fertile land. It then sloped back up into rugged terrain and forest again. The aromatic flowers that grew in this valley town were Sol'h'meyr's finest.

The Andelrins were transporting Cerinalle's highly demanded spices and perfumes to the town of Reisparte, the nearby town that Essairyn had seen from above the ancient tree. The market area that skirted Reisparte made up half of the town and was a popular hub for traveling merchants because it laid in the middle along the borders of two kingdoms.

Currently, Essairyn was in As'pyze, the land of humans. She had awakened in the Spirit and Demon Forest that served as a physical border between this kingdom and As'rien, the land of rain. The three other main kingdoms: As'iyse, the land of coldness; As'fyre, the land of warmth; As'eryt, the land of earth; laid westward where the Spirit-Demon Forest ended and the Eeuriyos mountain range began. She deduced all this from the Andelrin's map of Sol'h'meyr that they showed her when explaining where they came from and were traveling to.

"And now we're less than a third of a day's journey from Reisparte! Right Dad?" shouted the little boy to his father.

The father chuckled, "Yes Jerry, and now that evening is falling we'll settle down for the night and continue our ride early in the morning in order to arrive by noon." Banran slowed the wagon and parked it by the side of the road.

"Oh man! I wish we could just be in Reisparte now! I want to eat some of Leia's candies! Stupid demons!" The boy pouted with his arms crossed, map in hand. Essairyn gave an inquiring look at the boy and he clarified, "There's this lady who has a candy shop in Reisparte. She makes the best candies!!" Gerran's eyes shined as he imagined the taste of the sweets, and Essairyn giggled softly at his excitement.

"Well, it can't be helped, Jerry. You'll have to wait until tomorrow since we can't travel at night. So, make sure to go to sleep quickly, and it'll be tomorrow before you know it," Chona said with a wink.

"Yeah, I know," the boy mumbled glumly.

Chona patted her son's head as they all headed out of the wagon. Banran retrieved a rolled up tent from an enclosed compartment underneath the seat, and with Chona, they set it up in a matter of minutes. He then struck protective poles into the ground around the encampment while his son watched in fascination. The poles were imbued with a magical spell that warded off demons and phantoms of the night. The wagon already had the same spell imbued within its frame. Jerry then helped his father arrange the inside of the tent while Chona cooked dinner in a pot overhanging a fire.

"Is there anything I can do?" Essairyn offered as she watched Chona heat up broth for a stew.

"Oh don't worry, honey. You're a guest, so just relax while I make dinner."

"Okay." Essairyn smiled as she plopped herself down on the wooden bench which was brought out from the wagon.

"Oh, I know! Why don't you try these perfumes I made while traveling. I haven't yet gotten a chance to get a young lady's opinion on them. As you see, I don't have daughter yet," Chona exclaimed with a clap and a regretful sigh as she rushed off to fetch them.

"You make your own perfumes too?" Essairyn asked after she returned with an uncovered box of perfume bottles.

"Yes, I have a line called Choerin, after Chona and Cerinalle. Here," Chona explained, uncapping a deep rose colored bottle. "Smell this."

Essairyn tentatively inched her face forward to get a whiff of the perfume. A warmly dulcet and lightly tropical scent suffused throughout the air. She twitched her nose, trying to pick out the familiar fragrances. She smelled what seemed to be rose, honeysuckle, lavender, wisteria and plumeria, balanced with sandalwood and cotton flower for an underlying comforting and fresh feel. Altogether, it was an enchanting yet relaxing aroma, like being on an exotic beach in a high-class resort.

"Wow, this is amazing!" Essairyn gasped, thoroughly impressed. "You really made this?"

Chona beamed in pride. "Yes, I enjoy experimenting with different scents. Cerinalle has the most magnificent assortment of fragrant flowers and plants!" Chona capped the bottle and placed it back in the box before handing the entire container to Essairyn. While she enjoyed smelling the handmade perfumes, Chona continued cooking the stew. Ten minutes later, the meal was ready, and they all began eating.

The Andelrin's made light conversation with Essairyn and described Reisparte, which was like their second home outside of Cerinalle, in greater depth. The family's happy chatter and the fire's cozy warmth made Essairyn pleasantly wistful. Her thoughts wandered, and she looked up at the night sky. It was a starless sky, devoid of a galaxy, outside of her universe. Yet it was softly lit with glowing drifts of languid light that bobbed airily above the world. Somehow, the similarity of the sight to Earth's stars made her feel at ease. Perhaps, even now, she was searching for familiarity, for some solid ground in this strange world.

After dinner and cleaning up, everyone prepared to go to bed. Chona and Jerry headed inside the tent to sleep, and Banran went inside the wagon to sleep while watching out for thieves. Essairyn lingered outside the tent door and gazed up one last time at the magic lights. Each illuminated the dark like a nightlight.

"Akari," she whispered almost soundlessly. "I'm glad.." The fox perked up her ears and peered inquisitively at the girl in the dim light. Essairyn smiled wistfully at Akari. "..that you're here with me."

The fox turned away bashfully, mumbling, "H-huh, what are you even saying? Come on, let's sleep."

The girl gave an inaudible chuckle, and the fox gave a sheepish huff as they entered the lamp-lit tent. Essairyn truly was grateful for the Akari's company. No matter the fox's real intentions, the girl knew that she would feel much more lonely and lost in this world without her. Even though she was used to being alone as an only child with busy parents, it didn't lessen the loneliness. She merely had coped.

Chona was readying Essairyn's covers, and Jerry was already half-asleep beside his mother. She patted the pillow and gestured for Essairyn to sleep on her other side. The sight warmed the girl's heart, and she settled into the covers. Akari nestled on top by her side.

"Good night," Chona murmured, extinguishing the lamp.

"Night," Essairyn murmured back, "...Good night, Akari."

"...Night."

Several hours had passed when Banran's eyes flickered somnolently open. The wagon was wobbling, and he could hear the nervous neighs of the horses nearby. Something had spooked them, and something heavy was scuffling by the back door.

"Thieves?" he hissed softly. He stood up sluggishly in the darkness and searched under the seat for his magic rifle. He grabbed ahold of it, lifted it in position, and stalked carefully to the door. As he neared the door, the scuffling stopped. Banran inhaled sharply. The sound was moving to the right. Whoever or whatever it was, it was heading toward the tent.

He whipped the door open and jumped out, ready to fire. In the dimness of the early morning, he spied a large black creature grappling with the protective spells that had activated around the tent. The magic stakes emitted a blue light when triggered. When Banran's eyes adjusted to the brightness, the sight of the creature nearly made Banran shriek in alarm. It was a reptilian jaguar with amber irises and blood red pupils, and forearms that extended into leathery wings. The enraged beast demon was assaulting the magic barrier with astounding force. At the pace it was going, he deduced he had only a minute to stop it before the spell shattered.

Banran took a shaky breath and swallowed hard as he centered his rifle on the beast. He turned the weapon's knob to the fifth gear, the highest magic setting. Fully loaded, this magic rifle could hold three fifth gear shots. Usually, only the lowest gear would be needed to quell a first tier demon or regular animal. But with this creature, he had a hunch that merely injuring it wouldn't suffice. If he didn't kill it in one powerful shot while it was oblivious to his presence, then he could be risking his own life trying to fire several less powerful shots once it did notice him.

Steadying his resolve, he braced himself for the recoil and let the magic bullet fly. It hurtled toward the demon in a beam of copper light and hit it squarely in the side. The monster yowled in pain and dropped away from the tent. The nearby sound of the bullet and injured monster jolted Essairyn awake. She looked bewilderedly around in the dim light before realizing that Chona and Akari had also started awake. Jerry tossed fitfully in the covers but slept on.

"What is that?" Essairyn whispered edgily. The sounds of a fumbling creature outside could be clearly heard.

"I-I don't know." Chona stammered anxiously as she fumbled above the pillows for the lamp.

Akari stood up apprehensively and flattened her ears against her head. "There's a beast demon outside." Now awake, the stench of a demon more dangerous the bear filled her nostrils.

Essairyn's breathed hitched at Akari's words. Carefully, she got up from the covers and stalked toward the front of the tent. The thrashing and growling of the large large creature nearby grew in volume.

Outside, the jaguar beast was writhing tormentedly on the ground. It turned toward Banran with a crazed look in its amber eyes that were slowly turning more red. Even as it struggled to get up, the demon's eyes were furiously fixed on him, making his skin prickle with dread. With trembling arms, Banran lifted the rifle to shoot again, but the barrel clicked emptily. It had been a long time since he last reloaded as he uncommonly used it. Terror rose in his gut and his eyes shot back to the beast which was now on its feet. Smoky black tendrils gushed out of its wound and covered its body, seeming to make it larger. Dead silence filled the space as the beast stared wildly at the petrified man.

The sudden silence made Essairyn pause by the exit. Wary, she closed her hand in a loose fist, letting magic flow into her palm. A sharp snarl followed by a terrified cry snapped her out of her cautiousness, and she whipped the tent flap open. The lamp clinked behind her as Chona lit the wick.

With the light illuminating behind her, Essairyn's eyes swiftly sharpened, and she took in the scene before her. A reptilian jaguar demon was careening toward Banran while he rushed toward the open wagon door. Black smoke trailed in the beast demon's wake. Just as his right leg crossed the threshold of the entrance, the jaguar flared out the wings on its forearms and clouted the man with the claws on its right foreleg.

"Banran!!" Chona shrieked in terror as she saw her husband slump to the ground. At his mother's scream, Jerry jolted awake and looked with shocked eyes at his mother's devastated face. His head whipped from his mother to Essairyn as she dashed from the tent. At the sight of the jaguar beast perched on the side of the wagon, he skidded backwards in horror and entangled himself in the covers.

The jaguar's red eyes snapped toward the incoming girl. It had picked up a particular scent on her, and it snarled viciously as she drew near. The beast scrunched its muscles and lurched at Essairyn from the wagon. The wood splintered into gaping holes where its claws had embedded into the wall.

In the background, Essairyn could hear Chona's shrill cries calling for her to come back, but she stared defiantly at the airborne demon. Gritting her teeth in anger, she hoisted her hand into the air and released the spinning magic ball that she had built on the way. The deep lavender light knotted into the beast's underbelly, and the impact sent the demon spiraling away from her.

Essairyn huffed in stimulation as magic suffused her body. She took a deep breath and walked calmly over to the fallen demon while forming a magic weapon in her hand. The stunned beast laid motionlessly on the ground, but as soon as she came close, it jerked up in alarm and scrambled to its feet. The jaguar growled menacingly and flicked its eyes from her to the wagon to the tent. Just as Essairyn was about to reach it, the jaguar noticed a small fox in the corner of the tent entrance. Its red eyes lit up in recognition, and it darted toward Akari.

Essairyn's eyes widened as she realized it was heading toward the tent. Chona and Jerry screeched in fright and clambered away from the entrance. Akari tensed, ready to bolt. These damn demons just won't let me go! She hated her powerlessness. And a prick of guilt slipped into her heart. While Essairyn had promised to protect her, Akari knew that she was purposefully putting the girl in peril. The fox could only helplessly watch Essairyn race after the beast demon.

In Essairyn's right hand, the magic weapon swiftly took on the shape of a spear. With her left hand, she quickly casted a barrier in front of the beast. It crashed into the barrier, making it shatter into shards of light. But it was enough to slow down the demon for the one second Essairyn needed to pinpoint it.

She hurled the spear into its upper back, impaling the demon into the ground. It howled in agony, and its skin sizzled around the spear wound. Essairyn tromped over, a magic sword in hand. This was the fourth time she had formed the sword, and now she hardly needed to think before it came into shape. Without any hesitation, she hacked the beast across its back, just below the spear. The thick flesh put up some resistance, but the sword severed the beast cleanly into two. The edges of the halves began dissipating along the split, and a low growl echoed in the air as the demon dematerialized. Only the spear lodged into the ground was left.

As soon as it vanished, Essairyn spun on her heel and raced back to Banran by the wagon. Seeing that the danger was over, Chona scrambled to her feet and rushed over to them. Jerry remained seated in the tent, sobbing with small fists covering his eyes. Akari looked on mournfully and placed a consoling paw on the boy's knee.

"Banran!" Chona hysterically screamed as she tumbled to her husband's side. The man weakly opened his eyes and grunted in pain as he tried to sit up. The jaguar's claws had lacerated him across his chest and down to his stomach.

"Stop." Essairyn commanded. "Don't move."

Banran flicked his eyes hazily toward the girl on his other side. "T-The beast demon," he fumbled, "I-I couldn't—"

Essairyn stopped him short by putting a hand on his wound, making him flinch. "Just keep lying down. I'm going to try to heal you." Since Akari had mentioned that magic could heal others, then Essairyn was positive that she could will it to happen. Just like cutting, compressing, and flying, she believe she could imagine the healing process too.

Taking a deep breath, she shook aside any concerns and looked at the wounds resolutely. Easing her mind, she laid her hands on the injured man. Essairyn let her magic flow gently into the gashes and imagined the tissue closing up and the bones fortifying. The magic glowed in response, and Banran let out a gasp as particles of lavender light sunk into his flesh. They began reforming and reattaching tissue and bone, and Essairyn smiled in success.

Meanwhile, Chona looked at the girl with riveted eyes. She couldn't believe what she had just witnessed. Not only were they attacked by a third class demon in the middle of the night while camping out on the roadside, but the stray girl they had picked up wielded magic and single-handedly defeated the aforementioned beast demon, and now, she was healing her husband.

Chona was both terrified and transfixed. She glanced over at Akari who was with her boy, wondering how the fox spirit and girl were related. Spirits and demons often clashed with one another, so it was possible that the demon was lured by Akari's presence or had a feud with her. This meant that the whole ordeal could've been caused by her. Chona returned her gaze to Essairyn. Even if that was the case, Chona's intuition indicated that she could trust the girl, regardless of her relationship with the fox spirit.

"I'll go get some healing potions. They aren't potent enough to heal this kind of injury but...they might still be helpful."

Essairyn nodded as Chona left to fetch the potions inside the wagon. As more of her magic flowed into Banran, a faint ache began throbbing in her center. She furrowed her eyebrows in agitation but continued healing him. The magic seemed to be pouring out of her as if his body was siphoning all of her magical energy. She was being depleted fast, and Essairyn wasn't sure if she could maintain it for long. Her arms were growing weak, and her body, heavy. But the wounds were rapidly healing, and she was determined to finish.

Just as Essairyn's vision was becoming hazy, Chona returned with the healing potions. Seeing the girl's strained state, Chona rushed over, knocked her away from Banran, and caught her in her lap.

"Essairyn! Essairyn!" She called frantically as she held the blankly blinking girl. "You overdid yourself! Are you okay?" She gently scolded with a worried face.

Essairyn squeezed her eyes shut and held her pounding head. "Thanks," she murmured. "I guess I overestimated myself." She grinned apologetically at Chona.

"Here," Chona ordered, holding a bottle of green potion up, "Take this." She flashed her eyes toward Banran who was slowly getting up. "It looks like you're the only one who needs this now."

Essairyn gave a short, light chuckle. "Looks that way." She took the bottle lightly in her fingers and slowly drank the potion. A warming and cooling sensation spread throughout her body, and she instantly felt the tension subside. "Wow," Essairyn exclaimed, looking at the empty glass bottle. "That was kind of cool."

Chona chortled. "I've never seen a healer almost faint while healing, or someone look at a potion as if it were the first time unless—." She gasped and raised her eyebrow at Essairyn. "Wait, you're not a traveler, perhaps?"

Essairyn looked up at Chona. "You're familiar with travelers?"

Chona nodded and replied thoughtfully, "Well, we've always had people appearing from Earth throughout all of history, but it's become sort of a common occurrence these last few decades... Apparently there's a link between Sol'h'meyr and Earth that was created thousands of years ago which causes the appearance of travelers. I've never heard of it occurring the other way around, though."

Her last sentence pricked Essairyn's ambiguous conscience. She immediately felt a sense of relief upon hearing there was no way to return to Earth. It was soon followed by guilt as she admonished that relief. And proceeding, she felt emptiness. "Ahh," Essairyn breathed in understanding. "So it's not unusual then."

"No, but—" Chona started and then stopped when she saw her husband sitting up and fully conscious. She patted his thigh. "Banran, how're you feeling?"

Banran nodded his head in assurance. "Very well actually. I feel like new right here." He thumped his chest and smiled at the two of them. Then he bowed gratefully at Essairyn and addressed her directly. "Thank you so much, Essairyn. I couldn't have made it without you."

"Actually, it was my first time healing someone, so I'm glad it worked out," she replied sheepishly with a smile.

The couple was taken aback by her words. "Your first time?" Banran exclaimed, and Essairyn nodded.

"I initially thought you were from Neu'arth because of your clothes, but have you not been in Sol'h'meyr long?" Chona asked.

"I haven't even heard of—" Essairyn paused and then continued questioningly, "New-eh-art?"

"Neu'arth. It's the name of a region in As'pyze where humans predominately live. It got its name after Earth, from the world you came." Chona explained and then added with a light chuckle, "It was supposed to be called 'New Earth', but not all of the humans agreed upon an English name, and the natives wanted something in their language. In the end, they came to a compromise with Neu'arth."

"English?" Essairyn echoed. She suddenly realized that she had been conversing with people without thinking about which language she was speaking. "Oh my goshhh!! I've been speaking the native language this entire time without even realizing it! How did that even happen? Is there some sort of magic that automatically translates speech here?"

The couple laughed heartily at Essairyn's excited outburst. "Yes and no." Banran clarified, "Travelers can naturally speak and understand the native language when they arrive, so it makes sense you didn't realize it until now. Since I'm not a traveler, I don't know what it's like, but I suppose it must be like an automatic translator. Those who are born here, however, learn the languages in the typical way."

"Wow, that's amazing." Magic had even solved language barriers.

"It definitely makes it easier for both sides to communicate," agreed Banran.

Chona nodded and added, "If you focus carefully, you can speak completely in either language. We actually both spoke the words 'English' and 'Earth' in your English language."

Essairyn opened her mouth in a silent gasp. This world didn't cease to both amaze and daunt her. Despite all the danger she had faced since her arrival, she loved all the new discoveries and experiences. As that notion passed her mind, she heard the scurries of small feet in the grass. She turned around and saw Jerry and Akari running up to them.

"Mom!! Dad!! I was so scared!" Jerry cried as he flung himself into the arms of his parents. Chona rubbed the boy's back comfortingly, and Banran patted his head. Akari seated herself by Essairyn and looked up at her.

"You did a crazy thing trying to heal someone else for the first time. You could've died you know," Akari admonished.

Essairyn chuckled. "Is healing another person dangerous?"

"Not unless you're a healer which you clearly aren't."

"But I healed him!" Essairyn protested.

"In the most unconventional way!" Akari countered. "You mended his tissue and bone by creating new tissue and bone! You're supposed to amplify his magic with your own magic so he heals himself!"

"I thought you said humans can't use magic! How can they heal themselves?!"

"It's the natural healing process, you idiot! You strengthen their little magic cells and send them on their merry way to the wound site!"

"What kind of explanation is that?!"

The Andelrins burst into laughter at the girl and fox's squabbling, and the two looked curiously at the family.

"You guys are so funny!" Jerry giggled.

"You sure have a strange way of showing concern, Akari," Chona remarked playfully. Even if the two involved didn't realize it themselves, they had already started to form a bond which was apparent to others. Their relationship was a quirky mix of tiptoeing around one another while also getting into the other's business.

"There's a first time to everything," Banran chimed in. "And not everyone can say they defeated a third tier demon as well as healed a life-threatening wound."

"Hmph. I wasn't worried about the demon." Akari scoffed as Banran got up to inspect the damaged wagon. The jaguar's claws and tail had struck four large holes and a dent into the wood.

Banran frowned at the exposed interior. "Even though it was strong enough to tear through hy'lkron?" Hy'lkron was one of the most durable woods found in all of Sol'h'meyr. Comparing it to iron from Earth, it was three times stronger.

Akari shrugged. "Pretty sure Essairyn here could easily destroy the whole wagon if she wanted." Everyone blinked at her statement. Akari coughed.

"Anyway, I'll try fixing the holes tomorrow morning. Do you have something to cover it up in the meantime?"

Banran nodded. "You really think you can fix this though?"

Essairyn grinned confidently. "I'm pretty positive I can pull it off."

He chuckled and went to fetch tarpaulin to shield the wagon. Then he suggested for everyone to go back to bed. Essairyn could fix the holes in the morning. Banran went back into the wagon, and the rest headed over to the tent. Essairyn retrieved her spear on the way.

"Now that I think about it, how'd you even know how I healed him?" Essairyn queried as they walked. "You were in the tent with Jerry."

Akari shrugged. "Easy. You're not a greenie because you're human, and you're not a white mage because you have lavender colored magic. Those are the only two types of people that can naturally heal others. Otherwise, you have to study and practice healing for years."

Essairyn tipped her head questioningly. "What's a greenie?"

"Elementals from As'glyfe, a subkingdom of As'eryt, also known as green elementals, otherwise called greenies, by me."

"Greenies, haha. That's a cute name for them," commented Chona as she entered the tent. The others followed suit and settled under the covers again.

"Ah! I don't know where you two are going in Reisparte, but if you want to quickly learn about Sol'h'meyr, Essairyn, I suggest visiting the Knight Mage Academy's regional school in town," advised Chona. "They offer a free crash course on Sol'h'meyr to anyone interested. Also, the main campus is located next to Neu'arth if you wanted to visit there too." Chona paused thoughtfully before continuing, "Usually only the top fighters and scholars in the land can study there; however, with your abilities, I think you'll have a great shot if you're interested!"

"Huh, that does sound interesting." Essairyn anticipated what a magic school would be like. Would science and advanced mathematics still be taught when magic exists and can do so much? Her mind churned with eagerness, and she pushed down her enthusiasm for a later time.

Chona yawned. "Mmhm. Anyway, let's sleep for now and continue this talk in the morning. We still have about thirty miles to go."

Essairyn murmured in agreement, and Chona put out the lamp.