Lia woke up to the morning sun, groaning while getting up. Still groggy, she got dressed in one of her usual outfits, a short, white, flowy dress with a low sweetheart neckline and short sleeves allowing her a lot of movement. Around her waist was a faded brown leather belt, and she wore black leggings underneath the dress, so that she wouldn't have to worry about her skirt lifting up. She had long dark brown hair that faded to a silver on the ends and curled in every direction, which she braided to the side. She slowly stepped out of the room and yawning went down the creaky stairs and into the kitchen.
In the sunlit kitchen was a small table filled with platters of both sweet and savory pastries as well as fruit, which were always on the table. Today there also were three plates of eggs and bacon, and three glasses, with a jug of orange juice to the side.
"Good morning Lia!" A voice called out from the pantry. Poking her head inside, Lia answered back.
"Good morning Hiriko! Do you know where Kazuo is? I wanted to ask him what we will be working on today."
"He's in the study. While you're going there, could you tell him that breakfast is ready? I just need to find the beans and put them on the stove so that they're ready for lunch." Hiriko smiled, continuing to scour through the shelves.
"Ok!" Lia skipped through the short hallway into a small room, containing a large, clean desk and a few books, worn to the point of falling apart.
"Hey Kazuo! What's the plan for today? Am I going to be studying or practicing alchemy?" She grinned, her eyes lighting up. "Maybe some ACTUAL training? Like using magic or sparring?"
He sighed, shaking his head. "How do you have so much energy in the morning… Honestly, you're like an overexcited puppy sometimes." He leaned back, placing his hands on his belly that over the years had been growing wider. "I was actually thinking, maybe we would like to have a day off today? We haven't had one in a long time, so it may be nice to just have a break." He continued, watching as Lia turned turned ecstatic.
"Yes! Let's! Hooray!" She exclaimed, excited at the prospect of not being cooped up in the house, even though she loved her adoptive parents and discussing various methods to alchemy. "Oh, and Hiriko meant for me to tell you that breakfast is on the table!" She said as she left the room waving a hand, almost like a salute.
"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY THAT FIRST?!" called Kazuo after her. She heard his footsteps and a sudden crash come from the room, and peeked back into it. He had jumped out of his chair and started to run after her to the table, but tripped over the rug in the center of the room, falling down and knocking over a stack of papers that was on his desk.
"KAZUO! Are you alright?" Lia asked after he had finished muttering swears.
"Yeah yeah, I'm fine." He replied, getting up. "Let's go eat!" he said, smiling once again. Lia laughed at his sudden change in mood.
"Yeah, lets!"
Finally seated at the table, the trio dug into the food. Talking and joking around, they ate, with Lia finishing before the other two so that she could head off into the forest, her favorite place to be. Since she would be out all day, she packed her own lunch, instead of the one Hiriko had started making. After putting on her socks and her favorite pair of black boots, Lia grabbed her lunch and ran out the door, sprinting to the forest nearby.
She wanted to eat at the waterfall, which was about a half hour's horse ride away, but she had never been good with horses. In fact, they hated her. Whenever she rode with another person, it was fine, but when she tried to ride by herself, the horses would get really nervous, and start bucking, trampling passersby who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Lia had learned long ago to not rely on them, so going on foot to the waterfall would have to do.
Coming to a small forest path, Lia slowed down, wanting to enjoy every minute, every second of being outside. The trees towered high above her head, but in some places, the canopy opened up to let in golden rays, glittering the floor, bouncing around with the movement of the leaves from above. Birds chirped and fluttered around, squirrels froliked, chasing after each other, and butterflies sat on the foliage, having just come out of their cocoons and needing to dry their wings. She had always loved being in forests, walking underneath the warm sun rays, or in the shade of the canopy, with a cool breeze flitting around her, bringing the smell of water with it. It always felt so free, so happy, so calm.
Making sure that she was a reasonable distance from the start of the path, so that no one would see her, especially not Hiriko or Kazuo, Lia slipped off her boots and socks. As soon as her feet touched the ground, the earth came alive, growing grass and flowers underneath and around her. She smiled, watching the tiny red flowers bloom, giving off a sweet smell, where she had just been standing.
She laid her boots and socks next to a tree on the side of the path, securing her satchel so that it wouldn't fly off and bounded through the forest, laughing from the happiness that flowed through her, untying her hair and letting it course behind her, the silver strands glinting from the sun.
Lia finally arrived at the waterfall, panting, joyful yet still full of energy. The water was tumbling down, rolling over the rocks that it hit on the way, and eventually forming a stream at the bottom. She then studied the face of the rocky cliff, grinning when an idea came to her mind. She walked up the side, and began to climb, bidding the wind to support her from behind and catch her in case if she fell. She had almost slipped a few times, but safely made it to the top of the cliff.
Lia stood and looked out at the forest beneath her. The tops of the trees shimmered, light reflecting off of the moving leaves. A family of blue birds played around in their nest, only stopping when their mother brought them food. Lia could just see the edge of the forest where her house stood. Beyond that was a hill, from where she could just see the very tip of a building from the village. Sitting down with her feet hanging over the edge, Lia took her sandwiches out of the satchel and began to gratefully munch on them, enjoying the wildlife around her.
Finishing her meal, Lia lay down on the grass underneath her, staring up at the sky. She slowly started to drift off to sleep, lulled by the soothing sounds of the waterfall and rustling of the trees. Not having any nightmares for the first time in weeks, she slept soundly, waking up only when a butterfly perched on her nose, making her sneeze.
Lia turned her head, watching the blades of grass move in the breeze, and felt an impulse to manipulate the satin-like ripples. Lifting her hand from her side, she gracefully swept it up, motioning at the ground. It mimicked her movement, vines rising towards the sky, in ribbons, twisting and turning as she moved her fingers, sprouting flowers and leaves.
Still holding control over the plants, Lia stood up, and it stood with her. She began to move, stepping, hopping, leaping, twirling- dancing to a faded old melody in her head. The more she moved, the more the amount of flowers grew. The grass grew taller, greener with each of her movements, the tree stump around her sprung back to life. The branches flew through the air, wrapping themselves around each other, then going near to the ground, turning back up and looping, unconditionally responding to her wishes. At last, she separated the long, thick streams of vines into millions of tiny branches above her head, orbiting above the roots, as if the center was a star, twisting tighter and tighter. Lia slowly gathered all of the twines to the center, forming a massive teardrop shaped bubble above her. She held it there for a moment longer before letting an almost golden color envelope the green, stilling the movements, forming a bark. She let go of her control over the plant, watching the newly formed tree slowly develop buds, some already turning pink and peeking out to the sunshine.
Sakura… Lia smiled sadly, remembering the long walks with her mother along the forest path, the ground overflowing with pink and white petals, the moon giving them a silver sheen. That was before… Before everything fell apart… Before my world collapsed. Those blissfully ignorant moments of peace won't exist anymore.
She picked up her now empty satchel and decided to head back home as she saw it was already late. As she climbed back down the cliff edge, again with the support of the wind, Lia held onto the rocks, noticing a slight layer of moss appeared on them from after her previous climb. Landing on the ground from a few feet up with an oomf, she began to walk home. The earth path upon which she had been running before was now covered with grass and the same tiny red flowers, filling the air with an intoxicating aroma. It was a smell that was constantly changing, different scents appearing, intertwining, and mixing. Lia could make out the smells of cinnamon, vanilla, and apples turning into lemons and pomegranates, which in turn became a cedar, evergreen, and strawberry.
After a few minutes, she wasn't able to keep track of the different fragrances anymore, and entertained herself by finding dead or dying trees and shrubs along the way. She walked up to each one of them, placing her hands in a triangle formation to the bark, and muttering "Laitvo." to each of them, knowing that in a few days, they would start to grow leaves again, and some even bloom flowers. Earth had always come naturally to Lia, as it did to all in her father's line of the family, and was the closest to her out of all the elements. Instead of having to discover or learn it, and then practice, as she did the others, it responded to her since she was born, whether she wanted it to or not.
Along the way, Lia remembered her belongings, and began to search for them among the side of the path as she walked. When she finally found them, she slipped her socks and shoes, braided her hair again, and continued back home, already exhausted from her mini adventure and using so much of her magic.
Arriving back at the house, Lia found Hiriko, letting her know that she was home. She ran up the stairs to the bathroom, filling the tub with warm water. Taking a quick bath as to not be late, Lia washed the dirt off of her, smiling as she remembered the carefree time that day that usually would have been spent with Kazuo and Hiriko schooling her. They made sure that she was well educated, especially since before she started living with them, she had been ignorant of the world around her. Kazuo taught her math, languages, geography, science, hunting, and fighting. Hiriko taught her history using stories, as well as music, dancing, art, and the most basic of house chores.
On top of her regular lessons with them, she also was taught wizardry. She spent hours, even days, memorizing potions and making them, or practicing controlling the elements, particularly wind and water, as those were the two Kazuo and Hiriko could use, respectively.
There were three types of magic. Alchemy, speaking, and elemental.
Alchemy was the simplest. Any person with magic inside of them could practice it since to be able to make a potion, one basically had to mix the ingredients in a certain way, while infusing it with a person's magic.
True speaking was a lost magic, the art form had been forgotten over the years. The language originated in Sai, a kingdom to the south, but over time the language changed, most words forgotten, and their magical properties being lost. Despite the change, some words remained so similar to the ancient language that they could be said by a speaker as a command. These surviving words spread to other countries, and most magicians used them on a daily basis, combined with alchemy or elemental magic.
Out of all known magic, being able to use the elements was the most distinguished, and the most powerful. Even just being able to master one of them fully was considered admirable and was respected. Magicians who did so were called disciples, and only a quarter of disciples could control two elements, and even fewer could control three. Each element had it's own personality consisting of opposites. Water was loyal yet manipulatable. Wind was protective yet uninterested. Fire was devoted yet rash. Earth was caring yet merciless. A disciple's element was determined by not only their potential and power, but also by their personality, and outlook on life.
Finally finishing bathing, Lia stepped out of the bath, drained the water, dried off, got dressed, and headed downstairs for dinner.
"Kazuo, why are you so serious today?" asked Hiriko after Lia had finished telling them all about her day, looking curiously at her husband, knowing something important must have happened, as he was usually talkative at mealtimes.
" … A letter came..." he said quietly after a minute of silence.
Hiriko had put her spoon down in surprise. Lia also had stopped eating, intently listening to the conversation unfolding in front of her.
"A letter? How? About what? We live so far from the village, and no one has ever written to us…" Hiriko asked after a moment of silence, demanding answers from her husband whom she had expected to expand on his statement.
"It was a seeking letter… From the court magician at Wistal castle." Answered Kazuo, finally looking up from his bowl and putting his spoon down. He reached out the letter from his pocket and laid it out on the table so that the two women could see. They both leaned over the letter to see better and Hiriko read out the contents.
A letter to all magic users residing in Clarines.
The court magician is searching for two apprentices over the age of 17.
Those who are interested in the apprenticeship, are invited to an exam that is to take place in two week's time at Wistal Castle.
The exam will consist of seven tests. You may bring any items you might need to showcase your abilities.
You must also wear a dark hooded cloak whenever you are inside Wistal Castle to differentiate from an intruder.
Do your best, and good luck!
When she finished reading the letter, she looked over to her husband and instantly understood his reason for being serious. She then looked over at Lia, who was rereading the letter for herself.
"I have no desire of becoming an apprentice, especially at my age. So, Lia, why don't you try for the position?" Kazuo carefully said, watching Lia's expression when she heard his proposal.
"Wha-me?! No way. Not me. I can't. It's not a good idea." I don't want to leave. I don't want my world to disappear again. She had turned from surprised to somber in a matter of seconds.
"I think you should try for the position as well. This may turn out to be a good opportunity for you to spread your wings and not be cooped up in this house for the rest of your life. We don't want you to feel imprisoned here. You might also befriend some people your age!" Hiriko commented, supporting her husband.
"But I like it here! I'm happy here!" Lia exclaimed, getting frustrated. Please don't leave me… I'm scared of what's out there… I'm scared of the people out there.
"Lia, we adopted you to protect you from your past, and to help you restart your life. We would like for you to explore what is outside of this house, village, and forest. Life really is beautiful and we would like for you to see it in full." I've been outside of here before… It wasn't beautiful. The people weren't beautiful. They were full of so much hatred… "We ask that you at least go and earnestly try in the exam. If you truly feel unhappy there, if you aren't able to find people that you cherish, and if you want to come back, then we will always welcome you." Hiriko nodded in agreement to Kazuo. But there are people that I cherish… And that's you two… Why can't you see that? Do you not want me here? Tears threatened to fill her eyes. Lia, not wanting to fight with them, caved in, sadness lacing her voice.
"Fine. I'll go. How long will it take me to get there? And when should I leave to arrive on time?" Hiriko and Kazuo smiled.
"It'll take about a week for you to walk there. You should probably arrive a few days ahead of time just in case and also to get settled." Kazuo replied, leaning back in his chair. Lia sighed.
"I'll leave tomorrow morning then."
Lia floated on her back in the water peacefully, enjoying the sun warming her body, her hair swirling and swaying around her. She closed her eyes, relaxing, but when she opened them again, the sky had turned stormy grey. The gentle swaying of the water had become a turbulent churning, not listening to her when she asked it to calm down, to quiet.
The water level rose, and whereas Lia could have before touched the muddy bottom with her feet, she suddenly a cold heartless absence of land beneath her. She tried to swim to shore, but it all had been drowned out. She tried to cry for help, but the salty water choked her, stifling her pleas.
A hand tapped her on the shoulder, and she turned around, seeing an outreached hand of a boy who was standing on a raft that had come up from behind her. She couldn't see his face, apart from his slightly crooked smile, which was beaming like a ray of sunshine against the dull gray clouds. Lia took the hand, grateful that someone had finally found her, had saved her, but when she stepped aboard the raft, the boy was gone and she was alone again. The water turned a murky brown, filling up with earth. A few minutes later, Lia stepped off the raft, and onto the newly formed ground. Even though the land there had just been filled with water, it was now black, scorched, still steaming, as if a fire of hatred had raged past.
She was alone with the black land, stretching for miles around her. Walking barefoot, she tried to heal it, to make it grow again, but it recoiled, disintegrating wherever she went. She fell through the earth, which had turned to dust and was falling. Falling, without being able to catch herself. Falling, the wind not catching her, not protecting her.
Lia woke up in a cold sweat, panting. Trembling from her nightmare, she sat up and tugged the sheets around her, wrapping herself up as if the blanket would defend her from her own fears. She sat, not wanting to fall asleep again just yet.
Trying to distract herself, she leaned over to her table, turning on a light and taking hold of her notebook and pencil. She began to draw the images in her head, sketching out the raft, the water surrounding her, the boy with the kind smile, reaching his hand out. She left the rest of his face blank, not knowing how to fill it. He seemed so familiar. Yet she couldn't remember. Drawing calmed her down, getting the images out of her head, bringing peace to her mind. Finally at ease, Lia put her sketchbook and pencil back on the table, turning the light off and falling into a light and restless sleep.
The next morning, Lia packed a satchel with necessities for the trip. She didn't bring anything for the exam itself, figuring that if she decided she needed something, she would make or buy it. She did bring her sketchbook and pencils for the journey, along with her favorite alchemy book, just in case. As she was about to leave, when Hiriko crawled down from the attic.
"Lia! Wait!" the woman ran up to her, panting. "I found it!"
"Found what…?" Lia answered skeptically, looking down at the cloth Hiriko was holding.
"A cloak! I knew I had one. Back in the days when I met Kazuo, I used to wear it all the time. Fortunately for you, it has a spell on it so that it never gets dirty or wears down. Consider it a parting gift!" Hiriko said, smiling and laughing. She extended the cloak to Lia, who took it gratefully.
"Don't forget to wear the hood whenever you can around people. It would be dangerous if they see your beautiful face. Someone might want to steal you away!" Hiriko giggled some more while pinching an exasperated Lia's cheek.
"Okay, okay, sheesh." Lia turned towards Kazuo, who had just come in the room.
"Good morning! Well, I'm off!" She said, hugging both of them and made her way towards the door. Looking back one last time, Lia beamed them a smile, covering the sadness in her heart.
"Bye! We'll miss you! Be safe!" The man and woman called after the figure that was slowly getting smaller as it climbed over the hill separating the house from the village.
"Will she be alright?" Hiriko asked her husband as the figure disappeared from sight.
"I hope so…" He answered, worry hinting in his voice.