There is nothing like the feeling of waking up in the morning after thinking you wouldn't make it through the night. It's what I had to live with ever since my friends and I had broken the laws of this land after ultimately deciding to try to make it to one of the greatest nations known for its magic. It would have been much easier to escape this tainted land, but our low amount of money and the fact that we were wanted refugees made every much harder than we hoped. Others would simply tell us to find work, but the people of the nation of Espin, where I was born and raised in, loathed magic users. Ever since the people of this nation had found out my friends and I had magic held so dearly in our hearts, our heads were wanted on a plate served to the king and his son. It was hard to hide from the kings brainwashed minions he called his people. They would go through any sort of pain to do as he pleased and I hate it. That thought is what usually keeps me up at night, tossing and turning, only thinking about what could have happened if I had gone down a different path. Both figuratively and literally.

A violent shiver ran through my body as I pushed myself up from my makeshift bed of leaves. I grabbed the cloak that I had used as a blanket as an attempt to get away from the cold nips of a winter's night and wrapped it around my shoulders, tying it on. I quickly stood up and grabbed my bag that I had used as a pillow.

I heard a sharp gasp from behind me, which made me whip around in alarm. I relaxed when I saw Naomi with her hands covering her mouth. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "You scared me." She visibly relaxed and closed her eyes making the bags under her eyes from the lack of sleep much more noticeable.

"Sorry," I muttered as I ran my hand over my face. "We should go, but rest for a minute, you'll end up dying from not sleeping properly." She nodded silently and almost instantly, light snores escaped from her body.

I looked over at my other friend, Aundrea, only to see her sleeping peacefully. I clenched my jaw and frowned. I couldn't understand how she was able to sleep so easily considering everything that has happened to us. I nudged her with my foot to try to wake her up, only to receive an irritated groan. "Aundrea, wake up. We need to go."

She huffed and opened her eyes to look at me with a hazy look. "What?" She asks groggily.

"Let's go," I said before stepping over her and made my way towards the entrance of the cave we chose to rest in. I stopped once I had reached it and watched a light flurry of snowfall. I placed my hood over my head and looked behind me to see Aundrea messing up the leaves to hide the fact that we had taken refuge inside this cave as she struggled with tying on her cloak at the same time.

She made her way towards me beside me. "Did Naomi not sleep again?" She asked before looking back at Naomi's sleeping form.

I frowned and looked back at the blinding white snow. "No, she didn't."

She groaned. "So you woke me up so we could leave, but we have to wait for her while she sleeps." I clenched my jaw, preventing myself from snapping at her. "I'm going back to bed." I heard her footsteps go back into the cave.

"You don't need the sleep, Aundrea."

Her footsteps suddenly stopped. "Oh, but Naomi does? Just because she chooses not to sleep during the night doesn't mean that I have to wait for her."

I drew in a staggering breath. Don't snap at her.

"Again, I'm going back to bed."

"There's no need." I looked over my shoulder to see Naomi weakly pushing herself up. "I can find some other time to sleep if it bothers you that much, Aundrea." Naomi grabbed her bag before making her way towards me, rummaging through her bag. She pulled out a map of the country and held it out for me to see, pointing at an area labeled 'Whimsical Covert.' "We're here." She trailed her finger as she made an imaginary path of how to get to our final destination. "We have to follow this path through Northlore Forest to reach Silz Wilds, where they allow people to get a boat to travel."

I nodded. "It doesn't seem that far, we should be able to reach by late noon."

"Sounds good to me," Aundrea said as she walked up to stand beside me. "Naomi, lead the way."

Naomi only rolls her eyes before walking out into the cold with the map in her hands. I quickly followed her as she started to navigate through the area we were in. It was silent, which made the crunch of the snow beneath our feet become more audible with each step.

The bitter feeling of the snow melting through our clothes and the continuous aching in our limbs made this trek a bit difficult. Because of the burning feeling in our legs, one of us would occasionally fall, but we kept on walking, walking, and walking for hours. I didn't want any of this. I just want this to end. I just want us to leave. I just wanted to be a wizard. Apparently... that was too much to ask for.

I heard a gentle whisper within the cold breeze and I froze. "Naomi," I called in a hushed tone. She stopped and looked back towards me and I motioned her to come towards me.

"What's wrong, Luna?" I heard Aundrea whisper from beside me. I pressed my index finger to my lips and pointed to my ear. Naomi finally had gotten close to us and she had an expecting look in her eyes. She furrowed her eyebrows and looked around, only to shrug afterward. I heard a light gasp come from Aundrea. "I hear guards."

I nodded at her answer and I pointed towards the direction that we were heading towards. "They aren't far."

Naomi looked to the side in thought before headed towards the directions where the guards were with a newfound vigor. "I have a plan." She simply stated before pointing at an area of a large number of leafless trees.

I nodded, understanding what she meant, and grabbed the clueless Aundrea's hand and started to pull her towards the trees. I pressed my back against the cold bark and tried not to flinch at the cold seeping through my clothes, freezing my skin. I saw the royal guards sitting around a fire to keep warm as they spoke to each other. Meaningless words floated through the air, keeping the men company.

"Oi! What do you think you're doing?!" Naomi came into view as her words cut through the air, which made the guards scramble to stand up. They all looked at her with wide eyes and mouths slightly agape. "Well? I asked you a question!" She pressured them more as she crossed her arms.

"Ah, um…" One of the guards stepped toward her. "We were sent by the King to find the two illegal magic users that ran away from the kingdom." The guard went to continue, but he closed his mouth when he saw Naomi's eyes narrow.

"What is it?!" One of the other guards nervously raised his hand and flinched as Naomi glared at him. "You may speak."

"I-I was just wondering, Captain... where have you been? You have been missing for almost three years."

"Where have I been? I have been busting my ass off trying to look for the two fugitives who decided to betray our people, hurt our king, and use magic! I'm doing what you low life shits can't do! I'm putting all of my energy into doing my fucking job and all you're doing is sitting on your asses!"

I grabbed Aundrea's arm and pulled her closer to me as I continued to watch Naomi. "On my signal, use your Earth Shell," I whispered in her ear.

Naomi took a fierce step towards them and they all visibly shivered. "So tell me, where have you been while I was doing my job?" None of them responded. They all had the look of terror on their faces… well, something that closely resembled it. "Answer me, now!"

Just as those words came out of her mouth, I nudged Aundrea's arm and whispered, "Now."

Aundrea pressed her hands together before pulling them away to make a circle. "Earth Shell." Her eyes flashed to a golden brown as her gold earth facial markings came to be. She quickly fell to her knees and pressed the palms of her hands on the snowy ground as her markings started to grow brighter.

I heard a shout from one of the guards and I looked at where the guards stood. Their legs were started to get covered by the earth that Aundrea was summoning. They cried to Naomi to help, for anything. Now, they felt what true terror was. Their shouts and screams were suddenly cut short when their bodies were finally covered completely by the earth.

The earth markings on Aundrea's face dimmed down and disappeared. She opened her eyes, which had returned to their normal brown color and she stood up. We both made our way out from behind the tree and walked over to Naomi who had the map back in her hands.

"We're almost there," she told us as we got closer. She pointed at an area of trees that I believe that we were in at the current moment. "Silz Wilds is just beyond this forest."

"Wow," Aundrea breathed out. "I can't believe that we've finally made it after all this time."

"Don't celebrate just yet," I told her. I turned back to Naomi. "What about the guards?"

She looked up from the map and stared at the rigid group of men. "We'll be fine, they're all idiots. Once Aundrea's magic wears off they'll probably think that you two attacked them and kidnapped me." She shrugged as a smirk grew on her face. "Well, that's half true." She folded the map and put it back inside her bag. "Let's go! There's no time to waste." She started to walk at a fast pace.

"Wait, hold up, Naomi!" Aundrea called for her as she ran after her.

I started to follow the two. I looked at the vulnerable guards as I passed by them. They deserved it. They all deserved it. I started to jog to catch up to Naomi and Aundrea, who were know running through the frosted woodland.

The closer we got to the end of the forest, the gentle sound of the ocean started to become louder and louder and my nose would twitch at the unfamiliar smell that wafted through the air. Soon, a small shed was coming into view between the gaps of the trees. I started to run faster beside Naomi and Aundrea, trying to reach the shed as quickly as I could. As we reached the end of the Northlore Forest, I felt an odd chill pass through my body. I looked around, taking note of the obviously placed shed and boats floating on the water. I turned around and widened my eyes when I saw a rune. I grabbed Aundrea's arm, which made her turn around and look at the rune with me.

She let out a small gasp and placed her hands on her cheeks. "Wow! It's rune magic!"

"I've read about it before in books," Naomi stepped forward and placed her hand on the rune, which now prevented us from passing back through. "This is the first time I've seen it in person."

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" The sudden voice from behind us made us all turn around to see an older man. "Magic represents our souls. My soul happened to resonate most with rune magic." He turned and started to walk towards the shed as he waved his hand. "Come inside, you girls must be starving."

Naomi and I looked at each other as Aundrea practically ran inside after him. I paused before following Aundrea inside and I almost melted at the warmth that I felt inside the house that I hadn't felt in ages ever since our escape. There was a lingering smell of cooked chicken that filled the area. The room was a decent size that only contained a table and a couch that held a pile of blankets. The room was connected to a small kitchen where the smell was coming from and the man was standing in front of a stove. I watched him stir the pot on the stove and taste whatever was being cooked before nodding to himself. I cautiously made my way to sit beside Aundrea at the table. I watched the man walk towards us with a tray in his hands that held steaming bowls. He placed the tray on the table and set a bowl in front of Aundrea and I. He set a bowl in front of the seat beside me and another bowl across from me before making his way towards the only entrance of the shed.

"Please, please, come in." I looked at him speak to Naomi who stood at the doorway for a bit before stepping inside and the man closed the door behind her. "I made you girls a hearty chicken soup. It's best to eat after a long journey," He said as he made his way back to the table to take back the tray to the kitchen.

Naomi slowly sat down beside me and gently slipped her hand into mine. "How do we know if we could trust him?" She whispered to me.

I shrugged and watched the man return with four glasses filled with water. He set them in front of us. "Here you go. Would any of you like a blanket? I'm sure you're all freezing."

I slowly nodded. "Yes, um, we would like that," I spoke in a low voice.

He went over to the couch to grab three blankets and he handed one to each of us before sitting down across from us. I let go on Naomi's hand to wrap the blanket around my shoulders and stared at the food that was placed before me.

I brought my gaze to the man and watched as he started to eat. "Who are you?" I asked him as I cautiously started to eat.

"I am the one you are looking for, Silz Wilds."

"Silz Wilds is a person! I thought it was a place." Aundrea spoke up.

Silz laughed. "Yes, yes, I get that a lot."

"So…" Naomi paused. "We aren't the only ones to go through here?"

"You aren't the only ones who disagree with this country's rules." He answered. "So, where do you girls want to go? Do you have a place in mind, or, perhaps, you would like a suggestion?"

"We want to go to Ishgar!" Aundrea said excitedly. She grabbed her bag from the floor and started to rummage through it. She pulled out a magazine and threw it on the table. "Ishgar has so much potential for us magic users! They have guilds for mages and we can earn money from doing jobs."

"Ah, Ishgar. That's a wonderful choice. What about its countries? Do you have anywhere in mind?"

We looked at each other before shaking our heads. "We weren't thinking of that. Our focus was mainly on escaping." I told him.

He nodded. "Understandable." He moved his bowl off to one of the sides of the table. He closed his eyes and pressed his hands together. "Perhaps Bosco?" He separated his hands and a small image of the said country appeared on the table. There were dark mountains and cities everywhere along the land. We gasped in awe. "Your great passion for magic and soon-to-be unsurpassable strength would fit greatly in the Kingdom of Bosco," The country unformed itself and the small speckles of magic floated in the air before starting to quickly move around in a circle, as if to make a small tornado. They soon came to a slow stop revealing another country. "And your unique intelligence and cleverness would be perfect for the United Federation of Midi," Once again, the magic unformed to create a new one. A smile formed on Silz's face. "But your need for adventures and your courageous spirits are a perfect fit for Fiore." He opened his eyes, revealing a twinkle in the light grey irises. "I think Fiore is the country for you girls."

"You have the ability of clairvoyance," I told him as a matter-of-fact rather than a question.

He nodded. "Yes. I also have the ability to manipulate the future so I can see which one has a better outcome."

"What about guilds?" Aundrea asked. "Which one should we join?"

"Oh, I'm not the one to ask about that." Silz stood from his seat. "I'll contact my niece. She'll help you with the rest of your questions and the beginning of your new journey in Fiore." He walked over to the kitchen and left us alone.

"I can't believe it," Aundrea said. "We're finally going to leave this hell hole."

"Three years," Naomi said. "It took us three fucking years to finally be so close to escaping. I've been wanting this all my life. I went through fourteen crappy ass years with this fucked up country. Shit, I was actually one of them. Now, I get to start over from scratch and everything will change. I'm… I'm just so happy."

My eyes widened as she began to start to cry. "W-whoa, Naomi-" I heard a sniffle come from Aundrea and I turned to see her start to cry along with Naomi. "Guys, hey, come on." I awkwardly patted their backs, not knowing how to react to the sudden show of emotions from the two.

Silz walked back towards us and smiled. "Yes, everything will change." He started to grab our now empty bowls. "I informed my niece about you three. Her name is Najma Wilds. She'll make sure you all have a good start in Fiore." He walked over to the kitchen and placed the bowls down. "I can set up a room for you girls and first thing in the morning-"

"No," Naomi cut him off and wiped away any tears that lingered on her cheeks. "We want to leave now."

"Now?" Silz furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head. "You girls need rest. You have been under stress for three years."

"That doesn't matter." Naomi stood up. "If it worries you so much, we can rest when we reach Najma."

He sighed. "Alright, I'll get the boat ready for you." He made his way outside and left us alone.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Aundrea asked. "I mean, I think we should rest first."

"But, we might risk getting caught," I said, which made them both look at me. "We attacked the guards remember? When Aundrea's magic wears off, they'll probably send a message to King Vivek or Queen Annelie and then they will be all over our asses. We need to leave while we still can."

Aundrea slumped in her chair. "Fine. There is no way to convince you two otherwise, is there?" Naomi and I shook our heads making Aundrea sigh. "Didn't think so. You two are so stubborn."

The door to the shed opened and we looked at Silz who stood at the door. "It's ready." He said before leaving once more.

I stood up, grabbing my belongings, and followed him outside towards the boats. Silz had his foot placed on the side of the boat to keep it from floating away. "Thank you." He turned to me. "We really are grateful for your help."

He smiled. "Of course. Nobody deserves to be stuck in a world where you can't choose your own story." He pointed at a bag that was placed in the boat. "I packed some fruits for you three for the journey, just in case." I nodded and he held out his hand. I placed my hand in his and he helped me step into the boat. I set my things down before taking a seat. I watched as he started to help Naomi and Aundrea into the boat. He took his foot off the side of the boat and went down on his knees. He grabbed the front of the boat and whispered a spell, making a magical sphere form on the boat. "I casted a spell on the boat to automatically lead you to Fiore. Najma will know how to disengage it." He pushed the boat away from the shore and the boat started to move on its own at what seemed like a jogging pace if the boat were on land. "Good luck, girls!"

"Thank you!" Aundrea called back to him with a wave. She turned back to us and smirked as she adjusted herself in her seat. "Now, why don't we get this thing going?"

I smiled when I saw Naomi frown. "You are not doing that. What if you flip the boat over or-"

Aundrea didn't let Naomi finish her sentence before stripping off her clothes so she was only in her underwear. I laughed at Naomi's pouting face before turning myself around to face forward and tightly holding onto the edges of the boat. "You better hold on, Naomi," I said. "Aundrea is quite a speedster in the water."

"I hate you both."

Aundrea and I laughed. I felt the boat wobble a bit before it started to quickly increase in speed. Aundrea whooped, Naomi was cursing under her breath, and I was laughing at the ticklish feeling I felt in my stomach.

Now, this is how you start an adventure.