I snuck out the back door of the kitchen following one of the kids who went to fetch water from the well behind the church. Not far from the well was a small vegetable patch that was growing rather pathetically. Past that was a shack that looked like it was meant to be a barn, with a small chicken coop attached to it. Neither had any animals. Both were also run down to the point I wondered if a strong wind would collapse them. They obviously hadn’t been taken care of for a long time. There was also a rickety fence enclosing everything which connected to the middle of the church on each side. Looking at all this increased my doubts about this church and its priests. It made me think they were just collecting the children for some unsavory purpose. It was rather obvious they didn’t care about the children’s well-being at all.

Slipping through the fence, I noticed there was a wooden palisade in the distance. It was just grassland between the church and the wall on this side. The front door of the church faced the town. Or perhaps it should be called a village. There was a field on one side of the road between the church and the village. On the other side was more grassland. That was where I’d woke up in this body. There were a few trees in the distance with the palisade beyond them. I felt there was more likely to be something worthwhile in that direction, so I decided to start there.

Roughly halfway to the trees I could hear the sound of water and the air smelled fresher. I could also see little motes of light floating around. At first I thought it was just the sun reflecting off dust motes. It wasn’t until I realized they were different colors and glowed in different brightnesses that I knew it wasn’t. The priests mentioned different elemental affinities for the kids who had their magic tested. Maybe these lights were elemental energy. But why could I see them? Could it mean that I’m a mage here? Since I can see them, can I also manipulate or absorb them? Would it be a good or bad thing to experiment with doing so? As such thoughts tumbled through my mind, a variety of those colored light motes drifted over to me and absorbed into my skin when they touched me. I didn’t feel anything at first, but then I noticed my hunger increase as more were absorbed until I started to feel faint. I could think about it more later, right now I need food desperately. It would really suck if I died less than a day after ending up in this body. I knew watercress was edible in my original world, but I didn’t know if this one had anything similar. I could only head toward the water and hope.

It didn’t take me long to arrive. It turned out to be a wide creek. Based on my small body, it would probably reach my waist at the deepest point. It was mostly sand and gravel at the bottom, but there were patches of green as well. As I got closer, I could see those green spots did indeed look like the watercress I knew. At this point, I was so hungry I was willing to try it and hope it was safe to eat.

It didn’t taste the greatest, but it didn’t immediately make me sick either. The water tasted delicious like pure spring water too. I forced myself to eat and drink in small amounts so I didn’t make myself sick from overeating. I noticed a few fish in the water and added them to my list of future prey. I needed to figure out how to light a fire first. I had no desire to acquire parasites from raw fish and I had no way to clean them currently either.

On the breeze came the familiar scent of mint. Mint has always been one of my favorite herbs. I excitedly followed my nose to it, but what I found didn’t look like the mint I knew. It was a small bush with long slender green leaves and purple twigs. The leaves had the mint smell but the twigs had a slightly sweet scent. I could see where it looked like someone had harvested from the plant before. That was a good sign. However, just to be on the safe side, I decided to test each part. If I didn’t have a reaction, I’d harvest some.

As I was studying the plant, I noticed it seemed to have faint glowing lines of blue and green running through it. The healthier parts had a brighter glow. Occasionally, a tiny mote of light would be released into the air. Fascinated, I started studying other plants to see if they did the same thing. It wasn’t until the sun had dropped low in the sky that I came to a conclusion. All plants had a certain amount of glowing green light, or energy, while the brightness tended to vary based on their health. Certain plants would also have energy of different colors. While I didn’t know what those plants were, I had a feeling they were either medicinal plants or they have properties used in creating magical or alchemical items. That is, if such things existed in this world. Since there is magic in this world, it’s likely they do exist though. Sighing, I added that to my list of things I needed to research information on. The list just kept getting longer. On the plus side, one of the plants I found had a slight peppery smell like basil from my world. It also looked different, but at this point I kind of expected that.

Since it was getting late, I decided I needed to explore the town a little before it got too dark. Maybe I could learn something from listening to people there. It would also let me test whether my shield worked on animals as well while in a relatively safe environment.

“Did you hear Orial?” came a slightly high pitched male voice from the front of the cottage at the edge of town.

I’d found my first source of information. I hid in the shadows to listen.

“You mean about the priest leaving and taking those orphans with him since he’s being relocated?” said another male voice. “I happened to be passing by when the priest found the village chief to tell him they were leaving.”

“And they’re leaving tomorrow. So quickly! It’s a pity the priest is leaving. He’s only been here a year. Although, I’m surprised he’s taking all those orphans. Not that there’s anyone here who would take them on. Especially that red haired one that was found in the forest two months after the priest came. There’s something strange about that one.”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Psh, it’s just a child with red hair. I heard there are a lot of people with red hair in the mountains in the east. It’s the ones with silver hair you need to watch out for. I heard they have been touched by the Spirits, so they are dangerous. Luckily, they are only seen in the Iceflower Forest. Even Adventurers only see them occasionally from what I’ve heard.”

“Still, why would a red haired child show up alone in the forest around here? That child is a bad omen. The number of times magic beasts have attacked the walls has increased since it showed up. It’s good riddance to it leaving. I pity the priest having to deal with it though.”

I couldn’t help scowling while listening to them. If there are a lot of people here that feel the same, it will be better if I leave here as soon as possible. After listening a bit longer and not learning anything else, I decided to move on. A tavern would probably be the best place to get information. Finding one is currently the problem, though. I don’t even know if this village has one.

“If it weren’t for the Guildmaster asking us to look into the unusual increase in magic beast attacks on settlements, I’d never set foot in this backward place. It makes my skin crawl.”

“You said that in the last four villages we’ve been too.”

It didn’t take much to pinpoint the ones talking. Their slightly worn leather and chainmail armor stood out amongst the villagers. The way the villagers avoided their group also gave away that they were strangers. Based on their looks and words, they were likely Adventurers like Orial had talked about before. There were five in their group. As I was observing them, the tallest of them suddenly looked in my direction. His sudden movement put the others on alert.

“What is it, Tyr?” asked the one who’d been complaining.

“I don’t know,” the tall man, Tyr, said in a deep voice while still scanning the area I was hiding in. “It felt like something was watching us, nothing seems to be there though.”

“You don’t normally make mistakes,” the second man commented.

Knowing that they couldn’t see or sense me, other than being sensitive to my gaze, I came out of my frozen state. As much as I was repulsed by the priests was how much I was drawn to this group. Or rather to the tall man. He was extraordinarily handsome, but beyond that his energy made me feel comfortable and safe in a way I couldn’t quite define. However, it was enough to make me decide to take the chance to make contact with them. Seeing there were currently no villagers around, I released the shield I had around myself.

Their shock at seeing a child appear out of thin air was palpable. I was obviously not what they expected. They didn’t lower their guard though. For some reason that made me feel better about trusting them.

“I need your help,” I said in a rather scratchy voice. Obviously the previous owner of this body didn’t talk much either. Luckily my words came out in their language. I said a silent thanks in my heart for that.

“We’re not a charity kid,” said the complainer, which I ignored. I stared at Tyr waiting for his decision.

The one who had been talking with the complainer snickered at him being ignored by me. One of the others, who had a quiver on his back, gave a slight smile as he observed me.

“With your ability to hide even from us, what do you need our help with?” asked the man with the quiver.

I turned my attention to him for a moment. Raising my eyebrow, I watched a dark grey glow coalesce around him and then flow into his shadow and stretch out toward me. Out of curiosity, I watched it move toward me, waiting to see what it would do. I didn’t feel any danger or malevolence from it or him, so I wasn’t worried. After staring for a while at where it stopped at my own shadow, I cocked my head to the side in confusion and disappointment.

“Is that all?” I finally asked him.

The look of shock on their faces, with the exception of Tyr, was rather humorous. However, it also made me a bit nervous. Obviously I did something that isn’t normal here. I wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or not though.

“You can see it.” Tyr said. It was a statement, not a question. He didn’t seem at all surprised, which made me a little curious. “If you’re willing to help with our investigation, I’ll help you with what you need as much as I am able to. It will be dangerous though.”

“It’s a deal then,” I agreed without hesitation. After all, helping them was likely to answer a lot of my questions anyway.

“Hey kid! Don’t you think you should think about it a little? We’re adventurers and our jobs are dangerous. Don’t you care about your life at all?”

I rolled my eyes at the guy who seemed to like complaining about everything.

“If I hadn’t thought about it,” I said. “I wouldn’t have revealed myself or talked to you guys. Helping you helps me anyway. Although I’m not sure how much help I’ll be to your investigation.”

Grrrr!

I blushed in embarrassment and glared at my stomach. I’d just fed it and it was hungry again. I guess the more I use energy, the more I’ll have to eat.

“Ha, ha, ha!”

I glared at the men laughing at me. Even Tyr was smiling.

“No need to raise your hackles, little one,” said the one who had yet to say anything. “Let’s get some food in your belly before these villagers start to think a beast got inside the walls.”

“Indeed,” Tyr nodded. “We can talk more after eating.”

Sighing, I followed them while wondering if the food would be any good. I hoped it would be, but I wasn’t going to hold my breath.