I wonder what last night was all about. Asher tapped her fingers all over the table beside the book. Something feels off but I can’t seem to put my finger into it. Could the lady be talking about the Book of the Nether Gods?

“Sweetie, are you ready to go outside?” Sheryl walked through the door.

Oh yeah, we’re going to meet the Meoons today.

When they were near the village entrance, Meoons curiously stared at them from afar. Asher observed them and assessed that they looked like one big family. Majority of them wore a simple brown t-shirt, paired with dark green shorts. This seemed to be the regular clothes of Meoons during their regular lives. There were children who ran around the huts, some old Meoons who farmed some crops, and regular Meoons who just talked.

While walking, Asher was caught off guard when she tripped over herself. Sheryl quickly checked on her daughter. The latter didn’t seem to be harmed but a Meoon rushed towards them.

“I’m so sorry, I was testing my nature manipulation and accidentally lifted the ground in front of you,” the Meoon bowed his head and apologized. He was slightly taller than Asher with a fairly lighter skin. He wore the regular clothes of Meoons. Asher stood up and extended her hand.

“It was just a tiny bruise. Nice to meet you, my name is Asher.” The Meoon raised his head and met Asher’s eyes. He shook her hand before he introduced himself.

“Nice to meet you, Asher, I’m Kael, a member of this village. Would you like me to take you around?” The Meoon - Kael replied.

Asher turned to her mother and Sheryl nodded. They walked around the village while Kael acted as sort of their tour guide.

“The life of Meoons here at Etherclipse Bay is rather normal. Even more so than Celestia Raeon. With where our region is located, not many creatures are interested in going here,” Kael said. They stopped at a medium-sized hut that appeared to be theirs. “What made you visit here, anyways?”

“Mother and I settled here because we found it to be the most peaceful place to live in with the reasons you already pointed out. I convinced my mother to visit here because I wish to learn about combat,” Asher explained.

“Combat? I’m also learning that! Tell you what, I’ll introduce you to some of my friends and maybe you could join us in our training! I’m sure Niacin wouldn’t mind even if you’re a witch,” Kael’s eyes glimmered.

“I would love to!” Asher accepted. She turned to her mother and Sheryl nodded as she’s fully on-board with the idea.

“I’ll leave you alone for now, sweetie. I’ll be back to pick you up before it gets dark. I’m going to see other parts of this village,” Sheryl said.

“Miss, what’s your name again?” Kael asked.

“Sheryl,” she said in a sweet motherly voice.

“You may stay inside our hut if you wish to. I’m sure, mom, dad, grandpa, and grandma would like to talk to you! We’re rather welcoming compared to other Meoons in general,” Kael offered. Sheryl smiled and nodded her head. She knocked on the hut’s door and gave Asher one last smile before they went to Kael’s friends.

Not far from Kael’s hut, they settled near a pond and a forest. The leaves of the trees were yellow. It was windy but wasn’t too cold. Near the pond, there were three Meoons who looked at (down on) Asher. The two who looked identical, who were standing by a tree, wore an alternate combination of what the other was wearing. One wore a yellow tank-top and white below-the-knee shorts; while the other one wore a white tank-top and a yellow below-the knee shorts. The third one, a tall lady who was sitting on a good chunk of boulder, wore a brown tank-top and black trousers. Kael went to the identical Meoons.

“So tiny,” one of the identical Meoons - the one wearing the yellow tank-top - said. Kael smacked her shoulder.

“Hey, don’t be rude.”

Asher giggled a little bit. “I get it a lot. It’s pretty normal for our kind after all.”

The tall lady got down from the boulder and walked up to Asher. She felt an overwhelming presence from within the lady. “You’re a witch, aren’t you?”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Asher stepped back slightly to give space between them. There was tension while they maintained eye-contact. I could tell that she’s quite different from the other three. Maybe she’s the one Kael called Niacin.

“I can tell that you’re not a bad person so welcome to the team,” the lady said. “I’m Niacin, one of the Meoon Elites, I’m the instructor of these three to become soldiers in the future. Somehow, they want that responsibility knowing the implications full-well. But they’re here to learn and that’s all I really need.”

She looks so serious yet so cool, Asher thought. Kael smiled at her before speaking up.

“Anyways, now that that’s out of the way, thank you, Niacin, it’s the students’ turn to introduce themselves!”

A charming girl - with the white tank-top - stepped in who was just a little bit taller than Asher, “Hello there, my name is Iela, I wish to know you more!”

Then, the girl who called her short also walked towards her and lowered her head, “I’m sorry for calling you short a while ago. I didn’t mean it as an insult. My name is Eila, Iela’s twin sister. I would like to be closer with you.”

“Thank you for the warm welcome, everybody, I also share the same sentiment. My name is Asher, and I’m a Witch, a Warden, to be specific. I visited this village to learn more about combat so I can protect my mother. I hope to learn a lot from you!” Asher bowed her head. So, this is the feeling of meeting new friends. How come I’m able to bond with them even if I’ve been alone most of my life? Whatever it is, I’m glad I have it.

After a while, Eila and Asher were sitting on a boulder while Kael and Iela stood face-to-face against each other. Niacin was near Asher and Eila but she was calling out lectures to them.

“No matter what happens during a battle, let them strike first. The biggest mistake you can make is to miss your first strike. The opening you give to your opponent will be massive and before you know it, you’re down to the ground,” Niacin explained. “The only circumstance where you should strike first is when you have better reaction time and speed than your opponent. The ones soldiers usually fight are rogue Witches who have been battling all their life. They always seek violence and would proudly initiate them if necessary. Knowing this fact, the biggest area you should focus on is counter-attacking their first strike. Demonstrate. Kael, act as a rogue Witch and attack Iela. Iela, look for an opening against Kael.”

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Kael and Iela took a deep breath. He stared down Iela before hopping to his right and dashed towards her. She took a step back to her right but he landed on his right foot and pivoted to his left to catch her. As if she anticipated it, Iela ducked down and swiftly kicked Kael’s left calf and caused him to fall down. Niacin raised her hand to call for a break. Iela offered his hand to Kael. He took it and stood up.

“Great catch,” Niacin commented. “Kael, your moves were linear and Iela properly predicted your next moves. The direction with which you charged her is very common. She baited you with the step back knowing that you’ll chase. You need to surprise her with something. However, that’s only because you struck first. At the same time, Iela, you waited too long to counter-attack, not everyone will fall for that trick so be careful next time.” Kael and Iela nodded at Niacin. “Take a break.”

Niacin turned to Asher and Eila and said, “You two are up next. I’m unaware of what your capabilities are, Witch but don’t use any of your powers during this fight. This will be pure combat so I hope you follow the rules.” Asher nodded.

Asher and Eila now stood face-to-face against each other. They each took a deep breath. “To change things up, Eila plays the attacker role, while Asher plays the counter-attack. Go.”

Eila jumped forward straight to Asher but Asher didn’t wait. She also jumped forward and caught Eila off-guard. Mid-fall, Asher gave her a smile and delivered a knee to Eila’s gut. Asher landed on her feet while Niacin caught Eila’s body. Kael and Iela looked in awe and were impressed with Asher.

“I’m sorry.” Asher bowed her head to Eila when she stood up.

“Don’t worry about it! You were really impressive there. I didn’t expect your counterattack to be straight up coming directly at me as well. Next time, it won’t be that easy but you got me this time.” Eila smiled at Asher.

“Not only was that a good surprise, that was also an effective strike. The knee to the gut could be lethal if you had given it your all,” Niacin said. “You’ve got potential to be a gifted fighter.”

The sun was already mid-sunset. The five of them gathered around for one last time. “That’s a wrap for today. Tomorrow, we’ll do the same but this time, it’ll be about grappling. For now, all of you did well, you should take a well-deserved rest.”

Asher, Kael, Iela, and Eila walked together back to Kael’s hut. Niacin went in a different direction. They waved goodbye at each other. While walking, Asher thought, This is the perfect time to strike up a conversation. What should I ask them?

“How long have you guys known each other?” Asher asked.

“For as long as we have been alive in this world,” Kael said. “These twins are practically my sisters at this point. Technically, they’re my cousins but we grew very close together growing up. We have the same ambitions for goodness sake.”

“When we were children, we would always try to spar with each other. All three of us are just scrapping about. Our older family members used to stop us because we might hurt ourselves but we’ve been practically doing that for all our lives,” Iela added.

“And now, we’re all training to become soldiers. It is very unusual in the eyes of other Meoons here in Etherclipse Bay. If Kael hadn’t mentioned it already, this is the most peaceful region in all of Isoraeon. Because of that, the usual dream of young Meoons is to live a normal life,” Eila continued. “However, our argument is that if a lot of the young Meoons here don’t want to involve themselves in combat, then our village is vulnerable. We’d gladly take the burden of having to train if it means protecting those we love.”

Asher listened meticulously. She spent a few seconds gathering her thoughts and comprehending their insights. “Protecting…” she murmured. “Is there anything that you want to protect your loved ones from? Has your village ever encountered a conflict that caused you to have that drive?”

The three looked at each other. The twins looked down on the ground as if remembering a past event. Kael looked at Asher and said, “The reason Iela and Eila lived with us is because their parents were involved in a mysterious incident. They went out into the forests and never came back again. That was the only time it had happened and the creatures were unsure why. It was the reason that Niacin was sent to our village, to protect us. She’s one of the high-ranking Meoons known as an Elite. She helps with clearing the forest of any signs of danger.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. I didn’t mean for you to bring up a sensitive event in your life,” Asher lowered her head.

“It’s nothing,” Iela said. “We’re sure you didn’t mean any harm. After all, you’re curious to know our motivations and all that. It’s a part of getting to know each other, Asher, there’s nothing wrong with it.”

“Now that Kael brought it up again, I didn’t feel the same heavy weight on my chest that I used to feel,” Eila added. “I think my sister and I used to always hate it when our past is brought up. Now, though, it just gives us the fuel to work even harder. And with Kael on our side, I think we’re on the right track.”

All of them smiled. Then, Kael asked Asher, “How about you, Asher? Why did you want to learn combat? Do you have something that you want to protect?”

“Mother. I want to protect mother,” Asher replied without hesitation. Should I bring up my past? They brought up theirs so I think it might be fair. Or maybe, I’ll bring it up some other time. Or when they ask about it. “She’s very fragile and is nearing old age. Anybody could sneak up on her and take her away from me. And if I’m strong enough, no one will be able to do that.”

They arrived at the hut and Kael knocked on the door before entering. Sheryl was with Kael and the twin’s family members. They were chatting peacefully while drinking tea. The dichotomy between them and the youngsters was quite drastic. Asher tried to identify the members of the family but Kael introduced them anyway.

“Good evening, ma, pa, la, lo. This is our new friend, Asher. She’s the daughter of Miss Sheryl,” Kael said. “Asher, meet my parents and grandparents. The short one wearing a blue floral duster is my mother. While the one with white t-shirt and brown shorts is my father. Then, the one with the hunched backs are my grandpa and grandma. They love it when I introduce them like that for some reason. Moving on, the one who’s wearing a brown beanie, brown tank-top and brown shorts is my grandpa while the one with pink and floral duster is my grandma.”

“The kids are here! How was your training? Niacin didn’t make you guys hurt each other again, did she?” Kael’s mother enthusiastically asked.

“Ma, I told you, Niacin doesn’t make us hurt each other without a purpose. We’re bound to hit and grapple with each other since we’re learning how to fight. But she doesn’t purposely injure us or make us bleed or anything like that. We’re all in good hands.”

Asher came to Sheryl and sat on her lap.

“How about you, sweetie? Did you enjoy your first day here at the village?” she asked her daughter.

“Yes, mother. The three of them are very friendly and inclusive. I didn’t feel as if I was being left out because I was different. I’m looking forward to being with them more in the future.” Sheryl smiled at her daughter. They spent a bit more time for dinner and chatting with Kael’s family but not too long after, they went back home.

Asher immediately went to her notebook and paper to talk about her day. She wrote, “I met new people outside of my mother and father for the first time. I felt like I belonged with them. Kael, Iela, Eila, and Niacin, they were all very kind to me. They’re guiding me with my goals in unexpected ways. I wish nothing but the best for their future. I wish that I could spend some more time with them outside of just training. I think I finally get what it feels like to have “friends.” I’ll make sure to document all of my experiences with them so I’ll never forget. I want to learn more about the Meoons and treat them like they’re also family.” Asher put aside her notebook after she finished writing. She slept almost immediately after.