What was it, the growing pain that seared through the back of her mind. A strange foresight perhaps that things were about to go south? Perhaps. Though, her focus was quickly robbed away from her musings as a deafening roar shook the very tree she sat on. She looks down to see her trap finally able to snag her prey. A gray wyvern took a bite from the tainted-swine carcass she had set and triggered the spell she had placed, resulting in an eruption of vines that caught all four of its limbs.

  The vines quickly grew erratically, constantly regrowing wherever they were torn—seemingly like magic—because that was exactly what it was.

  While this sequence seemed like it can go on forever, it was clear to see that it would not be the case. The longer the bout drew, the greater the beast’s blood boiled, and it quickly came to a point that mere vines could no longer restrict its movements. After seeing that to be so, the magus drops the spell entirely and in its stead she utters a new spell that grappled the wyvern with thick roots sourced from this vast forest.

  This ancient forest became animated at her will. The trees moved in accordance to her gestures, with a stroke of her hand more roots burst out, with a flick of her wrist trees bent and drilled through its rock-hard scale. She enjoyed whittling down her prey while in safety. This was the type of arcane supremacy a magus who was a cut above the rest could display.

  She wore a sinister black garb, and a lowered hood while she merrily swung her barefoot from the ledge. The dark atmosphere and her immense power were quite contrasting to the person in question as she lets out an unfiltered scream as the wyvern unexpectedly got through a lapse in her spell and sprinted up the redwood she sat on. The vines, the roots, and the smaller trees she had been using as offense up till now were of little to no use once pushed into a corner and began charging at her without a care for itself. She had hoped the battle would’ve ended with little trouble, though in hindsight that conclusion was ill-advised.

  She now has to take matters on a more serious note. She throws herself back to evade the charge and leapt off where she sat and flew down to the ground. Then, she takes a scroll from her satchel and with a quick incantation, the scroll bursts into embers and from the redwood she sat on a faint aura could be felt. Soon, a constant creak could be heard and with that as its only warning the giant tree split open and devoured the wyvern.

  It squirmed violently as wood penetrated both scale and flesh. Wooden tendrils crept closer and closer to its heart and through its head, but the constant thrashing did not allow the fight to end with ease. No amount of damage could be dealt to slow it down. On the contrary, it seems to have strengthened the greater the injuries it had sustained.

  On the other side of the battle, despite the incredible display of sorcery, the magus’ endurance was not bottomless. For every move the tree had made was under her own volition. Every snap of wood was something she had to mend. Everything was slowly but surely pilling up on her. Her face paled as her knees weakened from exhaustion of mental and physical. She could not win a battle of endurance against a savage. Though she has a plan.

  Albeit a clumsily stitched-up plan… but a plan!

  From her satchel she takes out a grubby-looking scroll—filled with unnecessary markings and smudges. She winces at the scribbles she dared call a ‘working spell’ and quickly had a forming cloud of doubt over her. But she really did not have a choice.

  "Don’t fail me now, past me", she whispers almost begrudgingly as she hesitates to put the mana in the spell inscribed, though her will was quickly ironed out as the muffled roars of the bloody wyvern were ever increasing in volume.

  Her fingers were trembling from exhaustion and sweat began pouring down on the scrolls as she tries her best to have a steady hand. She first creates a water bubble to float just a few feet above her head. Next, she generates a tremendous amount of mana, enough to make her own flesh feel warped. Her body convulsed as she transfers all that energy to the flimsy-looking scroll.

  Her entire being weakened from the transfer and the magic she had used to keep the monster at bay almost vanished. Things were certainly out of hand, but she shrugs her shoulders and whispers to herself - ‘There have been worse.’

  The tree quickly came to a halt and with the mana supply cut, they snapped and twisted as regular wood should have. Splinters and blood rained from above and with another ear-piercing roar, the wyvern announces its triumph; though prematurely. The few seconds it took for the beast to escape the overgrowth, was enough for the magus to cast a spell to end their small skirmish.

  With about a dozen blue orbs now circling around her, her fingertips now channeling an unspeakable amount of power being supplemented by the surrounding orbs. The tips of her robe caught fire, and even her own fingertips were starting to burn. Like fresh charcoal thrown in a campfire, her burning was gradual, though that did not make it any less excruciating. Enduring the pain, she holds her tongue, knowing it would all be over soon enough. Finally, the orbs flicker out of existence as their purpose has been completed.

  Zap

  Now, a thin bright ray of light appeared for but a fraction of a second. The blinding flash it made lit up the night sky as if a new day had arrived. The ray struck through the wyvern’s head—penetrating its brain—stopping it in its tracks.

  The barks of trees meters away from the magus had been torn off and a clean hole the size of an eye visibly pierced through the wyvern’s skull. Nothing could have survived that, not even that monster could. It was an ultimate feat of arcane supremacy though, the magus herself could not celebrate her victory as her sight was quickly taken by the flash and just as it was about to return, her consciousness faded, and she collapsed.

  She fell down with a soft thud. Burn marks littered her entire body, most especially on her hands. Even her robe had caught on fire and with the caster unconscious it was almost certain that the fire would soon catch on to the rest of her body as the robe covered her entirely.

  *plop*

  With her consciousness being fully gone, her mana output vanished and the ball of water floating above her head popped, drenching her wet. With that, this little magus had come through with her task for today. Though leaving behind such an awkward scene to gawk at: A suspiciously dressed girl lying unconscious on the forest floor who’s both been burned and somehow drenched right beside a dead wyvern in the remnants of a battlefield.

  It would leave anyone who didn’t know the context to be very confused of what transpired here. Thankfully, there was one other set of eyes, unbeknownst to the magus who had seen the entire thing unfold. Noticing the magus falling unconscious, the stranger sneakily went to the magus’ side, though she need not worry about anything as not a trace of malice was present from the stranger. Quickly making a quaint sanctuary in the middle of the forest, the stranger was careful not to wake the other up.

  The magus, however, did not stay asleep for long. Quickly waking up not even an hour after her nap. As drowsy as she felt, she instantly tensed up as her hands grabbed hold on to a thick fur blanket that was not supposed to be there. She looks around and notices a girl tending to a small burner between the two of them. The girl looked the same age as her, but she gave out a very soft aura as she stared at the magus fondly. The girl wore a simple white dress with a deep black robe over it.

   "Good evening", the magus greeted, not sure on what else to do.

  The girl took a second to respond as she hesitates to reply before giving out a faint chuckle.

  "Good evening to you as well", she replied even if a bit late while adding absolutely nothing to the conversation. She merely gave a gentle look at the magus. She did not mind too much the awkwardness as it can even be said that she enjoys it; unlike someone else. The stranger continued to smile at her, tilting her head for a bit, staring deeply into her eyes.

   Another second passes.

  "… thank you for taking care of me", the magus spoke awkwardly, trying her best to not make the air so stale contrary to what the stranger was doing. For now, she observed the girl in front of her as they spoke about nothing, all the while the stranger’s gaze intensified more and more.

  I swear she’s doing this on purpose. What is she wearing, even? Where did she get this stuff? Or better yet, what is she doing here? Is she a runaway princess? A rebellious daughter?

  The magus had too many questions in mind but did not voice out a single one of them.

  "I witnessed your bout with the beast", the girl spoke seemingly out of nowhere. "I highly commend you for that", she congratulates her sincerely, giving out a short genuine applause to the magus.

  Though still a bit confused to what was happening, she was happy to hear such words coming from the girl. A thought from the back of her mind insisted on keeping herself vigilant, though that is certainly not what is happening right now. For one, she was glad to find the satchel still on her lap underneath the blanket. The worries of the girl being a thief now all but washed away. Though she had her concerns, she felt no danger from the stranger as well, and so as guarded as she might want to seem, she was quite lax.

  Now realizing that other than the burn marks on her clothes; it left her entire body unscathed, with not a single blemish or mark she can find. She could smell a faint but sweet aroma coming from her skin and quickly realize another deed the stranger did for her.

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  Before she could give her sincerity, the girl asks her: "What plans do you have with this creature, miss magus?"

  The magus was quickly taken aback from the brief mention of her job. "A-Ah. I’m not a magus. I’m a sorcerer, so you don’t have to be court.". She replies in a hurry as she realizes what implications the stranger might have had with that assumption.

  "I see. I see. I do apologize for the incorrect title." The stranger takes a solemn bow, but the sorcerer irked back a bit as she felt the apology to be insincere for some reason.

  It was easy to equate her identity to a magus for her attire, and most definitely the display the other had witnessed was certainly leading to that. Though the magus—ironically enough—did not utter a lie as she definitely wasn’t a magus, but more so someone pretending to be one.

  While a magus and a sorcerer were both wielders of the arcane, magus is a term specifically for members of a widespread cult whose beliefs consist of obtaining power through mostly unethical ways. Many are quick to arrive at negative assumptions towards magi, and one couldn’t blame them as their loud and public ideals have made them a heavily refuted group with some cities outright criminalizing it.

  "But about the wyvern you were talking about", she says trying to steer the conversation away "I’m not really sure what to do with it. Would it be that bad of an idea to leave it as is?"

  The only reason she had hunted it down was due to it being a tamed beast of the Magus Marin, the magus whose robes she now wears. Not really sure on what to say or do, she asks the girl instead.

  ‘If it wasn’t to hunt it for materials or as a job, I do wonder for what reason you have for putting it down’, the stranger returns the question with another one with the same innocent tone. While the magus was caught in a fumble in what excuse to give.

  ‘I merely stumbled into it.’, she gives a curt response, trying to make it sound as less of a lie as possible. ‘Is that so’, the stranger simply replied. A strange smile lifted from her lips as she said that; she saw right through that little lie. Though it mattered not at all to her as she was only trying to make conversation; no more, no less.

  ‘Then would it not be a hassle if I purchased it from you?’, the girl proposed to the sorcerer.

  ‘If that’s alright for you’, the magus looks at the corpse to see it in tatters. Blood painted the corpse while all its scales were chipped and its hide ripped all throughout. She highly doubts there would be a lot of eager buyers for it adding to the fact that it still had to be transported to the city.

  "Then, here", the girl gives her a small purse as if seemingly on a whim. ‘this should be enough’

  "I-Isn’t this too much?", the magus opens the purse just to immediately close it afterwards. She immediately tries to give it back, but the girl merely waves her off as if it was of no consequence to her at all.

  ‘Thank you so much! I actually really needed that...’, she releases a quick sigh and pockets the purse, though wondering if there was an underlying reason from the girl for giving her such a generous amount.

  "As for getting this back to the city, well... ", she says, looking a bit embarrassed, her concerns quickly rose. ‘I really need to go somewhere quickly. So, I can make up a set of treants to have them carry it for you’, she proposed, trying to make it even slightly more favorable to the buyer.

  ‘The gesture is enough, pay not too much heed to me. The transaction is already done’, she spoke sternly. Not allowing any form of follow-up from the magus while still keeping her gentle tone.

  The magus was readying to part ways when she felt a small echo coarse through her body. She halts momentarily before another much stronger echo shook her. She looks around the forest to see the trees rustling in uniform. Before she could say anything, the stranger rushed beside her and quickly drags her into a bush.

  She didn’t resist as, for the first time in their entire meeting, there was a serious look in the stranger’s eyes.

  ‘Shhh… Look closely’, the girl presses a finger on the sorcerer’s lips as she carefully looks at a faraway location.

  ‘What is it?’, the magus mirrored the girl’s whisper, though not sure for the exact reason. ‘… a lost cherub.’, she answers her own question as she spots a child-like being floating through the forest. Her eyes glittered as she gasps in awe.

  The cherub floated through the forest with much disarray. Its bellowing cries were most likely what the echoes were from. The magus could feel herself getting dizzy from the constant vibrations, but she could not pass up such a rare sight. She wanted to run away, but her curiosity denied it and planned to run in the opposite direction of where safety was.

  "Maybe we should help him? It’s quite dangerous here", she suggests, though it was merely an excuse to get a closer look.

  "No, we mustn’t interfere", the girl unexpectedly denies the suggestion. "His master must be trying to find him this very second…", she pauses a bit and grabs the sorcerer by her arm, quickly dragging her away again.

  It wasn’t long until a single bolt of lightning struck in the middle of the forest for seemingly no reason at all. A light mist quickly spread through where it struck and the bellowing cries were no more. The magus looks back to see a hunched old lady waving at her from afar. Before she could wave back, she was quickly dragged off into the distance. She wasn’t entirely sure if she saw correctly, but she would definitely read up on this subject as soon as she gets the chance.

  They ran non-stop for a while until eventually they could come across the rugged cobble road that was the pathway to the City of Alguru. Now away from the tall thick trees with the sun now rising, they could see the other much better.

  "Well… that was tiring though you still seem quite lively.", the magus interjected as she worked to catch her breath while seeing the girl beside her unfazed by the sudden marathon they just had.

  "Mind it not too much, I’ve had my fair share of running far too many times to be fazed by just that.", she said so in such a bragging but jovial manner, the magus couldn’t help but chuckle at the remark.

  "Now that trouble has been removed from sight, it should be about time to make myself known.", the stranger declares all of a sudden. She stares at the sorcerer, gazing deeply into her eyes with arms spread wide.

…...

  "Ah….", there was an awkward silence that permeated through the air much thicker than before. The sorcerer looks at the girl in front of her and senses a tinge of unease coming from her; if she had planned the awkward exchange from before, this one was definitely different.

  Is this some fad rich girls these days do?

  The situation only got worse for every passing tick of time. The sorcerer panics inwardly, cussing at her weak social skills for failing to pick up what was happening, though she somehow had the feeling that the other party was also at fault. Finally, she decides to go all in and carefully approaches the girl to give her a hug.

  "… Amy. My name is Amy.", the stranger utters in a dead tone, not even bothering to hug back. She seems disappointed at how the magus responded to her gesture in more ways than one.

  "Mine’s Nova and is it fine if I let go now?", she asked with a bit of nervousness in her tone. Amy quickly pushed her off as a response while looking at her with a deadpan face.

  "By any stretch of the imagination, have we met before?", quick to become impatient, Amy forsakes any form of subtlety she wanted to have.

   Ah, so that was what that was about...

  "I’m sorry, but I don’t believe I’ve ever met you before.", Nova mutters weakly. She reviews her face and even after sifting through memory again and again, she could remember no one by the name nor face like the girl in front of her. Only a slight headache arose the more she tried to think about it.

  "Though, you feel strangely familiar…", she trails off with a half-meant remark as a slight consolation to the girl who was trying to hold back a disappointed look. "Though, I might remember if you can tell me something about you, "

  Nova asked her, looking a quite hopeful to hear the other’s response.

  "I see. Then, there seems to be an error from my part", Amy says. "I was supposed to meet a magus here today. Have you seen one as of late?", a small smile formed on Amy’s lips as she scratches her head in this light-hearted confusion.

  "A magus, you say?", Nova could feel herself swallowing a forming lump in her chest. Though the atmosphere from their childish talk still hasn’t left, the fact of the matter is, the girl in front of her just said something very serious.

  "What business might you have with one?", right now she found herself scanning Amy’s every word and gesture.

  Is she talking about me in a roundabout way, or does she really not know that I’m most likely who she’s looking for?

  "What business might I have with her? Worry not too much about it; for I am not too sure myself.", she whispers the last part, feeling embarrassed about it.

  "I-Is that so?", Nova responds, not really knowing how to interpret it.

  Another strange answer!

  The irking silence dawned unto them once again. This time, though, Nova was prepared with what to do next: she runs away.

  "Well, thank you for helping me back then, but I really need to go some place else.", she says in an apologetic tone.

  "Ah, of course. Then you best be going now.", Amy spoke, still feeling giggly as she waves Nova goodbye.

  Nova runs off in a hurry. Her mind too distracted on what matters she has yet to do, she has not yet completely processed what had just come to pass. A small flicker lit inside her mind that made unconsciously stop and look back. She turns to see Amy still calmly waving her off and after noticing Nova glance back she shouts: "If you ever remember something, don’t forget to tell me about it!"

  Nova waves back at the girl, still unsure of what she had just heard. What she heard was not clear, yet a question from the back of her mind arose: Why did it feel like Amy knew something about herself that she didn’t.