And the length increases!

Hope some of this makes the current events feel more relevant/understandable, feedback is Always appreciated.

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Chapter 8:

Answers

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Waking up to the heavy sunlight coming through the window to her left, Eriss yawned and stretched her arms in an upwards motion. The room contained nothing more than two beds, a drawer, and a wooden desk occupied by a bottle of ink with its respective pen, a stack of roughly ten parchments and a candlestick. Reminiscing of her glorious but short time as a desk slayer, the girl clad in nothing but a white tunic and a pair of black shorts underneath, walked out of her small, but comfortable bed.

Too tired and exhausted, Eriss had fallen asleep with her clothes on, which did not seem to be a custom even if it was the second time she woke up in clothes since coming here, as the middle-aged woman, who the small girl assumed was called Mari because of how she pointed at herself and kept saying those words over and over, walked out of bed completely naked.

'I just realized... But I don't have any underwear.'

Looking at herself, the self-conscious girl blushed slightly before she made her way towards the desk to punch it with a small, clenched fist, completely ignoring the problem in front of her.

Reflexively yawning, Eriss stopped her undeserved abuse of the desk, and looked towards the bed. She would've liked to sleep just a little bit longer on the fluffy mattress she called a bed, but something else occupied her mind.

BreakfasThe old man had promised to give some appropriate answers.

The girl filled with some slight suspicions towards Gherd, hadn't noticed it during the stormy trip towards Ret'iva, but it was clear as day that he had dodged her questions yesterday. He seemed just a bit too  secretive, telling only what benefited him. After surviving in the woods, and then betrayed by the nicest looking couple that Eriss would not have suspected of doing what they had done to her, the world-traveller could not help but hold some suspicions.

She didn't want to distrust him, but knew by this time just how golden the words "every man for himself" was in a world like this.

A fresh breath of air came in to replace the stuffed room. Mari had already put on her black tunic and trousers along with making her way across the room and opening the window. Not using any words to speak with, the elder woman used her hands to motion that it would be time to walk out of the room.

She would be a beast at the game charades.

But now was not the time to contemplate over something meaningless. Eriss walked out first and banged on the thin board that separated the two groups. Hearing the door unlock from the inside, the energetic girl slammed the door open and walked in to the sweet scent of freshly baked bread and various dairy products, swiftly followed by a taller woman -seemingly just as hungry.

Two identical looking boys with red eyes glared straight forward, stunned over the sudden scene of two women snatching the hot bread from the table in the middle of the larger room, and eating it before even greeting the other party. Gherd, however, simply chuckled and took one loaf of steaming bread for himself.

The boys' room was more spacious than Eriss and Mari's, filled with three mattresses, a round table which they were currently eating from, and two drawers.

No ink or parchments or something to write with, though.

Believing this would be a silent breakfast, Eriss closed her eyes in bliss as she chewed on what was served. Suddenly the old magician's voice fill the room instead of the slightly crunchy noise of bread.

"So... With this we'll need to find some way in order to earn mone-" Gherd stopped himself for a second, as the glares from the older woman and the two boys burrowed themselves into his hawk-like eyes, then rephrased his words. "Mari, Lari and Neri will be earning us a place to sleep and eat, while I will be teaching you, Eriss, magic within three days."

'How did he know their names? No, the two boys have been with him since yesterday night, that is not weird. But Mari?..'

The old man had slipped his tongue. Something felt amiss in his seemingly never-ending and weirdly convenient knowledge. Eriss narrowed her eyes slightly as she inspected the face of the old man, but decided to let it go for now. It didn't seem like he would answer anything she asked right now, and the promise from yesterday did not seem like a lie. The old man would not run away from her questions for too long. Besides, something more important came up.

Learning magic!

A man's romance! Casting great balls of fire from the tip of a finger, or soaring through the sky with levitation!

Well, her fear of heights did not help in that case, but still! Who didn't want to learn and explore the wonders of magic!? Given that she was already in another, mysterious world, but that oddly didn't strike her as unfamiliar, for some reason.

She felt strangely at ease here.

"Let's get to it, Gherd! Teach me!"

Excited over finally learning the wonderful arts of self-defence, the magic trainee didn't want to waste a single second longer, and stood up, ready to leave through the door.

He was not as surprised over the behavior as the other three were, and simply smiled with his eyes closed, before standing up to walk with the girl.

Walking back the way they had used the carriage for yesterday, the streets seemed almost empty, even if the sound of some merchants and buyers could be heard. There were no visible red beads of light floating in the air, and the town seemed like any other medieval town Eriss had seen through games: the ordinary houses here and there, a blacksmith over to the left, stalls with jewelry, potions and food.

"Quite different from the night, eh? The red beads only appear during the night, and after all the intermingling between different races, the night became the day and vice versa for many around here. It's been an nocturnal city for roughly five centuries now... Walk left here."

Eriss snapped up the words that seemed as if the old man had gathered this knowledge through his own eyes. He knew something big. Something that Eriss felt would affect her greatly depending on how it's handled. Not knowing how to approach the subject, though, she kept silent.

reaching the outer gates after roughly forty minutes, the pair walked out, and a strong wind hit her right in her face, interrupting her breathing for a second before adapting to the new pace.

'Oh right, there was a storm! Forgot about that one...'

But there was only a strong wind, as the sun shone brightly and two guards with raincoats greeted them with smiles. They had been out here all night. Eriss felt a tinge of respect for the guards as she and Gherd passed by and walked out into an open field. The old man was the first one to say something.

"So! For seven hours a day, for three days straight, I will be teaching you the fundamendals of magic out here. I will wait here each morning, and walk you back in the evening!"

the surprised girl wanted to question the sudden behavior, but stopped herself as the magician opened his mouth again, amplified by the blowing wind.

"Magic exists within every person! Every being that walks upon An'ir! The talent for maj-"

He bit his tongue.

There was an awkward silence in the air as Eriss stared at Gherd in confusion. The abashed one opened his mouth again to speak. This time, not as enthusiastic.

"The talent for magic exists within every being, yet because it is not often trained up enough to be used, many humans live their entire lives without the ability to perceive the static flow around them.

The beginning of each advanced skill is understanding the basics! And so, we'll be spending the remainder of today to run in that high grass over there, and during the breaks I'll be telling you more about each element!"

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

Eriss had no chance to protest at the spartan training as Gherd forced her forward until she started running by herself. Every hour there was a fifteen minute break, and the panting girl was already out of it after the first hour. Droplets of sweat ran down the exhausted girls forehead as her knees fell to the ground while she gasped for air.

Not showing any mercy, the old man who seemed awfully energetic for no reason, asked questions about what he had told Eriss just an hour ago.

"So! Who possesses magic?"

"I- *hahh*  I-"

"No stuttering! A magician must be able to think clearly under exhaustion! That'll be a five minutes shorter break."

'Not any more! This devil! I'll...!'

"*Hahh*  Every... Being around us..."

"Good! Now, the three basics would be offense, defense, and environmental magic. And..."

The rest of the day continued in this manner, as Gherd would ask one random question he had talked about before, and then explain a new element, technique, or history, before it would be time to start running again.

Eriss was already exhausted after the first hour, but out of pure frustration and willpower to wipe that smug expression off of Gherd's countenance, she kept running, as long as her legs made out of spaghetti could carry her. her pace slowed down after every break, but she was still moving forward.

"That... should be enough for today. Let's head back."

It was impossible for Eriss to even stand, of course, as she lied down in the grass, gasping for air. Seeing this, Gherd walked forth and picked her up. His strength and posture suddenly struck her as odd, but as tired as she were, the eyes soon closed themselves as Eriss fell asleep in the old man's arms from exhaustion.

The next day she woke up in her bed in the same room as before, with a new set of clothes next to her, lying folded on the floor. Forgetting about the questions she had, this training repeated itself for three days as she -this time alone- walked out to meet the old man who was already out in the field.

Until the third day came to an end.

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By the end of the third day, as Gherd was about to walk back in the sunset, Eriss suddenly took the initiative to speak. It was incredible how fast she got used to the excruciating amount of running, as even though her forehead was running down with sweat, not once did she excessively gasp for air.

"I think it's time you explain. Not once have you taught me how to use  magic, and just what are you? Who  are you? Why do you-"

A loud sigh came from the old man -who suddenly looked as if he would be only twenty years old- as he faced Eriss, and sat down on the ground. His youthful appearance carried a worried expression, as his yellow eyes looked at the irritated girl in front of him, still standing up.

Another sigh escaped his mouth.

"I do  know who you are. Or well- Where you came from. Earth..."

"How do you k-"

"...Because there's no way I wouldn't know where I myself came from, even if its been such a long time since then. And...

I'm speaking english, right in front of you."

"Not that Lig- Lit- thingy then?!"

"Similar, but still a difference. No, I'm from Earth. And I understand the perils you've must have faced since coming here."

She couldn't believe it, no, it was impossible not  to believe it. In front of her, sat the closest thing to a sane conversation partner. It was preposterous even if she herself had gotten here in some way, but there he was! All Eriss did was stare with eyes widened in wonder towards the person calling himself a human from Earth.

It was all she could do.

"Let's see... You asked before how I knew so much? World-travellers tend to end up being at the center of history here... There are three countries that currently reign over this world:

Egitar, the country we currently reside in.

Litogaria, the neighbouring country southeast from here that speak something similar to english.

and then Infar, a country to the northeast, full of mountains and greenery as well as the place where the demonic plateu exists, housing thousands upon thousands of demons."

Gherd took a small pause to collect his thoughts on just where he should begin, and then continued the explanation. Eriss know that she had asked how he knew so much, but did she really need a lecture? It was hard for her to interrupt, though, so she kept listening in case something important popped up.

"These countries, had an ongoing war of conquest five hundred years ago. Ret'iva, who is placed close to the border connecting all three countries, automatically became one of the most important towns... I guess city would be more accurate now.

Currently, because there is peace between Egitar and Litogaria, Infar has yet to try anything new, but it would only be a matter of time before the triangle war breaks out again.

On the topic of your magic..."

Gherd paused as he was about to change the subject from history to Eriss' magic question, and then continued.

"This training you've done for three days now, is but the foundation. The rest..."

He lightly tapped his index finger above his right temple. The attentive girl understood exactly what he meant.

"World travellers don't seem capable of utilizing the magic caused by specific elements, which require some kind of incantation to work, whether those chosen words are long, in order to specifically create the exact existence of an element, or short, to effectivize the output and speed.

What we, those who do not originally belong here, use, is the very same magic that put us here... Ancient magic. It does not require anything other than focus and the imagination to go with it. However, the effectivity won't increase until the words, the true understanding of such an imaginated spell, are thought, or said."

"But then, if it's through the mind, are we able to wish ourselves back?"

The words that followed was something Eriss expected. She didn't know why, or how she knew that. But the fact of how calm she was in that moment, told her something that it wouldn't be so easy.

"...In my life here of five hundred years, I have never  come across something that can bring us back..."

She knew how calm and weirdly accepting of all this she was, but those words still crushed something within her. Only one more question came up as she saw that the sun had already settled and the sky was shimmering with stars.

"Why... Now?"

"I just guess that the time had come. Now... I'll see you tomorrow morning, I'll teach you a final thing then."

Watching as Gherd stood up, and walked towards the city gates, Eriss stood in the silence. The was no wind, and the stars looked otherworldly.

Closing her eyes, then drawing a deep breath, Eriss walked back towards tonight dinner.

*-*-*-*-*

Somewhere, standing in an open field of grass and flowers, was a familiar shadowy figure. He had no sense of smell, yet the smell of vanilla and strawberry engulfed him. He had no ears, but the sound of a windmill and dripping water still reverberated within his head.

A smile creeped up as he looked out over the field he stood in. Twirling around, laughing like a maniac, the sound of anguished souls gushed out of him, causing a shock wave to fly out like the ripples from a droplet of water.

Death made a devilish smile as he looked up to the sky.

"And so... It begins."

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Edit: Tomorrow will prob be 2 chapters, one Intermission, and one main chapter.