Both young girls continued their journey toward the place that Goddess Cordelia had mentioned to them, getting closer and closer to their destination, the city called Oulars.

—I still can’t believe what Goddess Cordelia said about me — Sarah complained.

Juanita chuckled briefly at seeing Sarah’s lingering resentment. —Oh, Sarah, I think you need to let it go; she might have her reasons.

—Is it because I have a patch? That’s pretty discriminatory — the young girl said, half joking and half serious.

—Pff, haha!

Suddenly, the guide’s eyes widened, as if she had remembered something she had forgotten to mention. Her adventure companion looked a bit startled at her reaction, unsure of what had happened.

—Juanita, I forgot to tell you. Before Oulars, there’s a small town called Carota; it would be good to stop by for a quick look. Anyway, it’s on the way to Oulars.

The young girl dressed in green calmed down upon hearing that what Sarah remembered was something minor. Juanita thought for a moment and nodded in agreement, accepting the quick stop they would make before reaching their main destination.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the cozy town of Carota, which brought back many memories for Juanita. The fresh and clear smell of salad filled the air; it was evident that this village specialized in agriculture.

Sarah wasn’t lying when she said it was indeed a small place. Most of the houses seemed abandoned, except for one, which was the only one with fresh paint and vibrant flowers for decoration.

The grass was different from other places; it was slightly less vibrant than the rest, which was strange for a place dedicated to planting and harvesting. The land didn’t seem to be in the best condition, and the overall atmosphere saddened Juanita a bit, reminding her that she didn’t belong there. A place that reminded her of her homeland, “Del Valle,” should never be in such a precarious situation.

They ventured deeper into the town. The grass crunched strangely under their feet as they noticed that most of the village was surrounded by dry channels where a river used to flow. As they progressed, they realized there was another young girl in the center of the village. Upon seeing her, both girls’ eyes sparkled like the sun shining on their faces. This girl seemed to be doing her best to water some plants that didn’t seem eager to stay alive.

The girl watering the plants was beautiful and dazzling. Her appearance reflected a blend of delicacy and strength: her hair was tied in a long burgundy dreadlock ponytail that perfectly complemented the tulip adorning her head. Despite being completely barefoot, she appeared carefree, as if she were part of the natural environment. She was like the personification of a beautiful tulip.

Juanita felt excited to see another new person who could help them on their adventure. Not hiding her enthusiasm, she decided to shout as she quickly approached, and this time it was Sarah who followed her.

—Person! Helloooooo! — the innocent girl didn’t realize that this might not be the best way to approach someone she didn’t even know.

—What?! Who’s there!? — the tulip girl shouted in fright, causing her watering to slip from her hands, practically flying away.

Both young women reached a suitable proximity to speak like civilized people, apologizing for their previous approach and helping the startled girl retrieve her watering can.

—It’s a pleasure to meet you both; you completely took me by surprise. Normally, no one passes through here, and thank you for returning my watering can.

—Excuse my companion; she’s new here. My name is Sarah, and this is Juanita Del Valle. — the worried young guide apologized for the bad impression caused by her embarrassed companion.

—Don’t worry; I’m not bothered at all. Just next time, don’t come at me yelling, haha. My name is Ayanna, Cordelia's nymph, at your service — the young girl introduced herself while performing a bow.

𝓐𝔂𝓪𝓷𝓷𝓪

image [https://i.imgur.com/ujVdDUK.png]

Juanita quickly murmured to her guide upon seeing this. —Wow, the people here really like to bow.

Sarah stifled her laughter while pulling Juanita aside, pretending she hadn’t said anything, so Ayanna wouldn’t realize they were talking about her right in front of her. Fortunately, the tulip girl didn’t notice.

After a few seconds, the peasant girl realized what Ayanna had said and asked, —Nymph? Are you the Nymph of Cordelia?! I actually have many questions about that!

—Oh, really? Like what? Tell me

—Look, my guide Sarah told me I should help the nymph of each nation. What is a nymph? I only know that they are the companions of the Goddesses and that each one will help me obtain my medium gem to get closer to returning to my world since I’m not from here, but I was brought to this world because I’m, um, “special,” and I must help them. Your goddess Cordelia told me so.

Ayanna was very surprised to hear that the young adventurers had met her Goddess in person, especially since one of them was new to this world. —Wow, you met Cordelia? She really doesn’t make many appearances to regular humans, so I hope you’re telling the truth. Let me explain first what we nymphs are; we are considered “semi-deities” in this world. We are chosen by our Goddess so that we can work together in everything they need, helping them and forming a bond with them. We also receive parts of their powers. How do we become nymphs? We make a type of “contract” with our goddess, which ideally explains what we are getting into. The seal of this contract is made when a flower adorns our head, usually of our choice. The seal cannot be broken for any reason unless our Goddess loses her life. If our Goddess loses her life, we become mortals like any other mortal. All this was explained to me by Cordelia when she chose me. By the way, we also cannot remove the decorative flower from our head; it’s practically “stuck” due to the seal.

It was evident that the young, braided girl was absorbing all the information attentively. Her eyes couldn’t stray from the rose on Sarah’s cap. Suspicion grew in her mind that perhaps that was the reason Cordelia had warned her not to trust her guide. The idea that her seemingly trustworthy guide could be a nymph and was already hiding the truth began to take shape.

Juanita spoke in a serious tone while looking at the rose on the patch girl’s hat. —Sarah, let me see if you can take off that rose on your hat. I’m starting to distrust you.

Sarah was completely taken aback upon hearing her adventure companion's suspicion. Disappointed by the lack of trust, she agreed to comply with Juanita’s request. The young girl, when questioned, easily removed the rose from her hat, which turned out to be just a decorative brooch.

Juanita felt embarrassed once again, this time for having distrusted her guide, so she apologized. —I’m sorry, Sarah. You know that the Goddess of Hearts made me have that doubt. I didn’t mean for you to feel bad.

Sarah a bit sad, quickly replied. —No, don’t worry, Juanita. I understand…

Ayanna watched the situation with much discomfort, as if she were a cactus in a hugging contest. She tried to break the ice by explaining more things. —About what we were discussing… another thing, Juanita, you mentioned you’re “special,” right? I need to confirm it somehow. Cordelia prepared me years ago for this moment, but I must be sure it’s true. From what I know, you must have a type of ornament where you can put the gems and tell me your title.

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Juanita tried to hide her displeasure at having to refer to that painful nickname once again. —I am “The Kernel” — she pulled the maize from her apron and pressed the differently colored grain to show her how her staff transformed.

—So… you really are “The Kernel” I feel lucky to meet you. There hasn’t been and won’t be another like you. As my Goddess surely explained to you, you are coming to improve the quality of life here in Creavit. You’re fortunate to be a great magical girl; when you obtain at least one of these gems, you’ll be able to transform and use the powers thanks to the gems, each with a different power. In my case, to give you the medium gem that I’m supposed to, you must help me — the nymph explained, filled with excitement, unable to believe that she finally met such an important person.

Juanita wanted to tell Ayanna not to call her that anymore, but at that moment, when the nymph mentioned, “there hasn’t been and won’t be another like you,” the peasant girl looked directly into Sarah’s eyes, filled with clear confusion. Sarah had told her that “there were many more people before her” and that “she wasn’t the first,” but if that were truly the case, then that situation wouldn’t be so significant to Ayanna, and the nymph wouldn’t have explicitly said, “there hasn’t been and won’t be another like you.” Seeing Sarah’s expression, Juanita awaited a response. Sarah panicked.

—Juanita… don’t look at me like that; I’ll explain later, but not now.

The braided girl, feeling benevolent this time, returned the favor for the unpleasant moment Sarah had made her endure earlier. The newly dubbed magical girl nodded her head to redirect her gaze back to Ayanna.

Juanita suddenly spoke cheerfully again, as if the interrogation she had just conducted with her guide hadn’t occurred. —Magical girl! I didn’t know that! I’ve read some books about them. How exciting!

—Books? I suppose that’s something from your world. Here, there are no books that talk about that. The only people in this world who know about “The Kernel” and her power as a magical girl are the Goddesses, nymphs, and the occasional meddler. So, that’s interesting — Ayanna responded, somewhat annoyed at the memory of the meddlesome ones.

—Well, I want to get my first gem. What do I need to do to get it?

Ayanna felt relieved because she knew exactly what was needed. —Look, I’ll tell you a story about this town. I’ll tell you that at least ten years ago, this town was prosperous and full of life. The people who resided in Carota were normally the most devoted to Goddess Cordelia, wanting to be as close to her as possible. As you can deduce, this place didn’t always look like an abandoned town. In the past, the grass was more vibrant; it felt very soft to the touch. If you think this air is pure due to our few current crops, you can’t even imagine how fresh it was years ago when the land was in better condition. We harvested many things, but the town of Carota was primarily known throughout Creavit for its delicious carrots. The main problem of this poor town is that the river is currently blocked by a dam located near Oulars. The water doesn’t reach in the same way, and thus the vegetation is dying.

Juanita and Sarah were concerned and surprised by the situation, and both asked at the same time. —What happened?

The three young women laughed at such a comedic coincidence, and the nymph continued the story. —That’s what I was getting to; the dam was put in place as a form of protest by the Queen of Oulars, Adelaide. It was very recent, at least four years ago. The dam was placed after the horrible incident that occurred here; it was a night like any other, when suddenly a group of masked individuals on horseback launched a surprise and indiscriminate attack. The town had done nothing to deserve this; many lives were lost among the various residents of all ages, and some were even kidnapped. The only survivors of the attack were a girl named Klara, who is now ten years old and has lost her mother. She decided to stay in this town with me out of loyalty, and the other was, well, me — the nymph of Cordelia. I put on a brave face and fought against the criminals for a good while. Unfortunately, the Goddess of Hearts didn’t arrive in time, which is something that remains unforgiven to this day. We later tried to find those responsible and the missing persons, but we had no luck. The reason the Goddess placed the dam was that on that night, her teenage daughter had a sleepover at a friend’s house. Poor the Queen’s daughter was caught and taken away on horseback amid screams. Adelaide was completely devastated by the news; she didn’t want to hear anything more about Carota, so she ordered that this town be made uninhabitable so that no one could live in a place “so dangerous” and “prone to attacks.”

Both young women looked completely affected and astonished upon hearing such a sad story about an innocent town. Without many words to say, they could only express their condolences to Ayanna for what had happened and their best wishes for the people who once lived there. The nymph seemed affected by the situation; throughout the story, she had been on the verge of tears. However, amid that somber silence, they felt some small hops in the dry grass.

—Hi? ... Who are you? — a small, high-pitched voice was heard, seemingly coming from a girl.

The little girl, about ten years old, appeared like an inanimate object brought to life, just like the nymph in this case, a carrot. The adorable girl had a shiny necklace with a round blue gem. On her head, she wore a beret shaped like a carrot.

Ayanna felt joy at seeing the little girl and introduced her to the young adventurers. — I just told them the story of our town; she is Klara, the girl I’m in charge of.

Juanita was surprised to see such a small girl living in such a gloomy town. Despite this, she felt a connection with her and worried about the little one’s mental state. —Hi, little Klara! My name is Juanita, and this is Sarah. It’s a pleasure to meet you. How are you?

The carrot girl seemed a bit shy but did her best to be polite and respond. —Um… fine… What are you doing here? You two are not bad people, right? —

Sarah and Juanita exchanged glances instantly, surprised to hear such a small child distrust them so quickly. Within seconds, Sarah felt the need to respond rapidly. —No, no! In fact, we are the opposite. We are adventurers and want to help your town. Juanita is a very special girl and must collect several gems from many nations to be able to return to her world. Pretty cool, right?

Klara looked at Sarah completely confused while blinking slowly, her mind wondering what she had just heard. To avoid confusion and awkward moments, she kindly asked both of them. —So, you’re adventurers? That means you can help me find my Mommy! I want to go! — she said with a cheerful tone to her caretaker nymph.

The tulip girl was taken by surprise but tried to be as understanding as possible. —Oh… are you sure, Klara? I know you say you’re big, but ten years isn’t as old as you think. Your adventure will probably be something very extensive.

The girl developed sudden confidence and determination, seemingly motivated by her mission to recover her mom after the accident. —Yes, yes! I want to go! I don’t care if I have to be friends with these two weirdos, all for my mommy! — Klara mentioned with great confidence in herself, not realizing that what she had just said could have been interpreted as something aggressive.

𝓚𝓵𝓪𝓻𝓪

image [https://i.imgur.com/xgHk2Te.png]

Sarah and Juanita ignored that a little girl had just called them weird; they were more focused on the bravery of such a small child. Still, they wanted to see first what the response would be from the nymph who was in charge of her.

Ayanna grew somewhat more serious and communicated something to both of them. —Look, I trust Klara but right now, I don’t know if you two are trustworthy. First, I’ll ask for your mission: in a somewhat peaceful manner, get rid of the dam that the Queen placed years ago and please return this town to what it was before — a lively place with inhabitants. After this, you will have my trust and the gem that is supposed to be given to Juanita. At that moment, Klara will have the freedom to join you on your adventures if you both want but take good care of her.

The patch girl and the peasant hesitated a bit at the situation, so Sarah made a gesture to Ayanna to ask for a little time to discuss the situation and decide if it was right to add Klara in the future.

—She’s a little girl without a mom! She’s like us, Sarah; let’s take her, please.

Sarah chuckled a bit at her companion’s tasteless joke. —Okay, but we have to take care of her as if she were our daughter. And don’t say “let’s take her.” Even though she has a bunny face, let’s not treat her like one, deal?

—Deal! We’ll make it together. Also, remember not to forget to tell me what we agreed upon earlier — Juanita mentioned in a calmer tone than when she had confronted her for the second time.

The girl with braids tried to give the impression of a wink, although the gesture looked more like a blink. Juanita understood the message and they approached the tulip girl and the carrot girl again.

The girl with braids said excitedly: —It’s a deal, Ayanna. We’ll do what you ask for the rose quartz heart gem, and we’ll include Klara in our adventures after completing the mission.

Klara jumped for joy, hoping for a good outcome from the great adventure approaching her, and thanked Ayanna for allowing her to go with them in the near future.

The nymph smiled at the situation. —Thank you for agreeing to take her with you. It will do her good to have a great outing, but first things first: you’re very close to Oulars, so good luck on your journey. Continue straight from here.

Sarah and Juanita thanked the nymph for her help and the stories she had told them, which helped guide them in this new world for Juanita. They also confirmed to the little girl with braids that she could be a magical girl, which excited the young girl very much.

They all warmly said goodbye to each other, even Klara hugging Juanita around the waist, showing clear excitement. The braided young woman felt a sense of peace in her body, happy to be able to care for the little version of herself in the future.

The farewell ended, and both adventurers followed the path Ayanna had mentioned, preparing for the missions they had in mind: to help Oulars in some way and achieve what the nymph had asked to obtain at least the first two gems.

They slowly walked away from the village, the sound of dry grass beneath their feet, glancing back occasionally to see Klara playing around Ayanna, displaying enormous excitement.