Somewhere in Hino Country – 4 years ago

"Sayuri, you have to hurry up! We have to make it to the docks before the sun rises; otherwise, we'll miss our chance," my mother hissed at me. She was not angry; she was just scared and anxious. My father calmed her down as he slowly gathered what we had used the previous night.

My mother and I were hunted because we had value to merchants in her homeland. My mother spent her childhood ready to run just as I did and just as her mother and grandmother did. She had always been told to stay invisible, suppress her magic no matter what, and hide her grimoire until she was of age ever since she got it when she was five. People from my mother's homeland got their grimoires early in life and had composite magic types. Her people had been pacifists living in a land full of natural resources valuable to outside traders. They were quickly taken over despite having more magic than elves. Her people were either slaughtered or sold to nobles by merchants and drained of their magic for experimentation. That is how her great grandmother and several others from their homeland ended up in Hino Country. A kind royal merchant had observed the heinous conditions that their people were forced to live in and decided to help them escape. He commissioned a ship for his goods and filled it with as many people as he could. Those who escaped had to live a life of running and hiding for multiple generations, each generation dwindling as they were caught. Finally, it was just my mother and me. Her family had hidden her in the tunnels beneath the house they had built as an escape route but didn't get to use it because they didn't have time to escape. She was the only one to run.

She stuck out everywhere she went in Hino, which made it hard for her to stay invisible. My mother had beautiful, bronze skin in a land where everyone was pale and had thick, tightly coiled, honey-brown hair that reached for the heavens where everyone had silky, straight black hair. Everywhere she went, she would attract attention as a foreigner and shun. She ran into my father while escaping from a group of men who found her camp in the woods. She was hungry and thirsty, begging for help in our little fishing town. He was the only one brave enough to offer her food and shelter. He gave her refuge and offered to help her get away if the time came, but she was welcome to stay as long as she wanted to. They would have daily conversations about their lives and all the places they had seen. When they married seven months after meeting, my father was shunned by the village for marrying a foreigner and forced to live on the town's outskirts. He made a living as a fisherman for a merchant. His fellow fishermen entirely accepted him because they had seen the world and knew of all the different people in it.

On my father's last fishing trip, he had caught wind of news that bounty hunters were heading for the region, and they were looking for a woman with bronze skin and coiled hair. My mother was the only one who fit that description, so we had to make our escape. He was able to arrange passage for me on a merchant ship going to the Clover Kingdom. They would help me get as far away from the bounty hunters as possible and go to the Clover Kingdom to find a place safe beyond their grasp. And so, we were running. My father had traded all our valuables to pay a sailor who knew him through his trade.

Forty minutes after we left our camp, we were at the docks, waiting on the sailor who would sneak me into one of the barrels heading to the Clover Kingdom capital.

"Sayuri, I want you to find people who will accept you for who you are. I want you to find a home. Remember all we have taught you and survive. If I were to get caught, you would be the last of our people. Always remember that. We hope the seven years of training in every skill and language that could be useful to you will be enough. Keep our legacy alive and show us how strong you are," my mother said with a tearful voice.

"Hai, mama! I promise to make you and Papa proud of me. I'm going to miss you. I will find a home for us and come to get you away from here, so we don't have to run anymore" I held on to them tightly, my heart aching for the moment to last.

"My dear Sayuri. Remember how you'll know we are always thinking of you?" my father said

"The earrings!" I replied as I touched the three platinum hoops connected by two small pearls on my upper right ear lobe, similar to the ones both my parents also sported on their ears. My mother had provided the platinum and my father the pearls.

My parents then hugged and held me tightly before surrendering me to the man who would be my savior. That would be the last time I ever saw my parents. I was placed in a barrel with enough food for two weeks and could use my water magic to siphon fresh water from a barrel nearby that held the captain's water. Once the ship docked in the Clover Kingdom, I was to sneak out of the barrel, jump into the water, and use my water magic to get myself to shore. From there, I would have to find my own means to survive. Two weeks from that day, I heard the bustling dock's loud commotion and found my way to the anchor holes. I dove into the water, swam to shore, and began my new life in the Clover Kingdom.

For three months, I had survived on scraps, the kindness of strangers, and coins from small errands I ran around the city. My father had taught me all the merchant languages he knew from his work as a fisherman, hoping that one of them would prove useful someday. Today, I had just completed an errand for a barkeep and earned my coins, so I was cutting through the alleys to the church I would often take refuge in. I ran into a group of three older boys.

"Well, look at what we have here. A foreigner and a tiny one at that. What do you say you give us all the money you have, and we will spare you," the leader of the group said.

"Walk away from me, or you'll regret it," I said and crossed my arms.

"What are you going to do about it?" he replied and tried to lunge at me. I quickly jumped over him, kicking the other two on the face before landing. I then hopped on the leader and punched him. I heard a noise coming from the other side of the alley, so I ran back towards the street and right into someone.

"I deeply apologize for that. I didn't mean to. I was being chased and didn't see you when I ran from the alley" I looked up to see a woman with messy, red hair and blue eyes. She was in a purple coat with a red cloak over a white shirt and white pants.

"I saw what you did to those boys. That is quite a skill you have there. What's your name, child?" the woman asked me.

"Sayuri. Nakamura Sayuri, ma'am."

"Where are your parents?"

"Hino Country. They sent me here to escape from bad people."

"How long have you been in Kikka?"

"About three months, ma'am."

"Have you had anything to eat today?" I looked down shyly, "Not yet, ma'am. I've been running errands all day."

"Where are you staying?"

"Nowhere, in particular. Mostly at the church."

"I would like to know more about where you're from. I have heard of Hino Country, but I have never been there. It would be nice to hear about it from someone from there. I have plenty of room for you to stay, and we can eat while we talk."

I tilted my head and studied her, then decided to follow. "Can I know your name, ma'am?"

"My name is Mereoleona, but you can call me Leona," she put her hand out for a handshake. "How old are you, Sayuri?"

"I will be turning twelve in two weeks."

"That's nice. I have a brother who just turned thirteen a few months ago. Maybe I will introduce you to him so you can talk to someone your age."

"Thank you, ma'am."

Mereoleona-san POV

I was leaving the tavern when I heard noises from the alley. I saw a little girl beat three boys, almost twice her size, and run out. She bumped into me then apologized politely, and I could tell she was smart and skilled. There also was something strange but controlled about her magic. I wanted to find out more about her.

"I saw what you did to those boys. That is quite a skill you have there. What's your name, child?" I asked her.

Her name was Sayuri, and she was from Hino Country. 'Isn't that where Yami is from?'. She didn't have a place to stay and hadn't eaten yet.

"How old are you?"

"I will be turning twelve in two weeks, ma'am."

I could introduce her to Leopold once I know more about her. Leopold was spoiled, reckless, and arrogant, but she looked like she could handle herself. She was smart enough at her age to figure out how to get money without stealing, and she had enough skill to take out three boys larger than her.