Mud caked her shoes and ran up her legs as she leaned on her cane, grinning at Thiazzi.

“Your shoes are ruined because of me…” He whimpered; eyes cast at the ground. It was a ridiculous concern considering he was carrying double the mud on his legs and clothes. He had even momentarily lost a shoe that he retrieved from the bottom of the pond. Much of his hair was damp and matted against his pale skin, revealing downturned, antelope-like ears.

“Are they..?” Senna hadn’t even noticed, totally unconcerned with her own appearance. Her hands were quivering ceaselessly, a concoction of adrenaline and shock from her own actions.

“I’m so sorry… I can make it up somehow.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it, I’m just glad you’re okay!”

I don’t know how okay mom’s gonna be about my clothes, but that’s future Senna’s problem.

Senna could see Thiazzi avoiding eye contact, clearly ashamed of himself. It was the body language of a beaten down person, reminding her of the person she had been until recently. She knew how quickly that level of despair could root itself in your heart and spread its tendrils down every vein and vessel.

“I mean it, we’re gonna be friends and I’m gonna slap the hell out of that kid if he ever bothers you again. If you’re comfortable with it, I’ll walk you home.” She cautiously reached out a hand to lightly pat his shoulder.

“You really don’t have to! I’ve already caused enough problems as is…”

“That’s the neat part, you didn’t! Those jerks are at fault for everything, not you. Plus, I’m a big girl and can take responsibility for my own actions. You didn’t force me to do it, and regardless of that, if they ever bother you again, I’ll do the same thing all over.

Raising his head to finally meet her gaze, Thiazzi opened his mouth trying to find his own words, but nothing came out. After several seconds of awkward noises, he finally nodded and spoke.

“Thank… you.” His voice was low, a sober tone to it.

The trip out of the park was uneventful, the warmth of the sun drying all but the soles of their shoes as they walked. Much to her chagrin most passersby glanced or chuckled as the pair walked back to the main road, futilely hoping that they’d be ignored. Worse yet, a hunched over old man gave them a sour look before shouting after them.

“You damn kids stay outta the ponds!” His voice cracking, shaking an ancient fist at them.

Once they were on the main road, pedestrians seemed to ignore the pair, either too busy getting errands done or too enthralled in their conversations to care about the appearance of two young teenagers. It probably wasn’t a particularly uncommon sight to be seen, especially if this world had younger people learning family trades.

Stopping at the stairs that lead to Senna’s cul-de-sac, she turned to face the boy.

“This is my stop but I’ll gladly walk you all the way home!

“N-no, it’s fine!” He awkwardly flailed his hands. “I’ve already inconvenienced you enough, I can’t begin to repay you for what you’ve already done for me!”

“Like I said, don’t worry about it. We gotta all help each other out, you know?” A smile shone across her face, hoping it would ease the boy’s anxious fears.

“Anyways, I better get home and clean up! My name is Senna Lorenz, I live down here at the end of the row in case you ever wanna stop by!”

Giving a deep, sudden bow, he yelled out “My name is Thiazzi Ulagarri, thank you again for your kindness!”

Awkwardly chuckling, Senna nodded and held out a hand to shake.

“I hope we meet again soon, Thiazzi!”

Raising himself up from the bow, he took her hand and gently shook it, his hands revealing a gentle, kind nature to his body language as they delicately gripped hers. With a soft wave, they parted ways, as Senna hobbled down the stairs carefully with her cane.

“Welp… these shoes and pants are ruined, but god damn was that worth it!”

---

“I wonder where that girl is…” Celica mumbled to herself, anxiously tapping the book in her lap.

It had been more than an hour and lunch was ready to be eaten. Sitting in an armchair in their humble living room, Celica had been reading a book to pass the time while she waited for Senna to come home. Almost like clockwork, a meager thumping of the door knocker sounded out through the quiet house, prompting the woman to rise to her feet.

As the door opened, she found still somewhat sopping wet Senna, her lower half covered in mud and disheveled, grinning awkwardly as her mom’s eyes widened at her appearance.

“Gods above, Senna! What happened?!”

“Oh, you know… Regular stuff!” Her grin grew even more sheepish, her embarrassment rising.

“Never mind that, let’s get you out of those clothes and into the bath! You can explain everything after!”

Minutes later, Senna realized how sore she was from her excursion, the buff she received from Rez’nir leaving her entire body aching. Sinking into a steaming bubble bath, she pulled her hair up into a bun as Celica pulled a chair up beside the tub.

“So you’re probably wondering what happened…” Senna avoided eye contact, nervous that she was about to get in trouble.

“Well yes, but first thing’s first.”

Senna braced herself for yelling, somewhat flinching.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt at all?” Celica’s voice was gentle, the warmth of it somehow outshining the bath. Subsequently, Senna was unaware of how red her face had become.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t have a choice I-“ word vomit frothed out of Senna’s mouth.

“Senna! It’s okay, I’m not mad! It’s just that when your daughter shows up damp and muddy, you will naturally have questions…” A chuckle left her mouth despite the visible concern. “Take a breath, slow down, and start from the beginning.”

Sighing as she wiped a soapsud mustache off her face, Senna retold the entire journey from the start. She took a moment to pause as she reached the point that the group of boys approached.

“I just want to preface this with… I really hate bullies. I can’t stand someone being tormented for being different.

”

A thoughtful expression painted across Celica’s face, she softly motioned for Senna to continue.

“A group of boys approached, and they were dragging another boy named Thiazzi, tormenting him and calling him names. Their little leader… I think his name was Biorix? He threw Thiazzi in the pond and kept demanding he catch fish for them and wouldn’t leave him alone.”

“Did they do this to you, too?” Celica’s eyes narrowed immediately, a strange aggression shining in her eyes that Senna hadn’t seen before.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“No! That’s what was surprising… Rez’nir, that aethos from the garden? He had appeared to me and offered to give me some of his strength to help save him shortly before they arrived. I got so mad watching them humiliate Thiazzi that I lost my mind and… may or may not have slapped Biorix so hard that it took him off his feet.” She let out an awkward chuckle, afraid that she was about to get in more trouble. Taking a breath, she continued “I got so messy because after they all ran off, I stepped into the pond to help get Thiazzi out and walked him back to the main road.”

Some of the aggression in Celica’s face faded, and she took a moment to respond.

“First off, I’m not upset with you at all. I’m actually quite proud of you for standing up to malicious little bullies like that.”

Senna immediately felt some of the tension in her shoulders melt away hearing these words.

“That being said, I know you’re almost fully rehabilitated, but facing a group like that alone is dangerous. You’re lucky that they were just kids. If that was an actual street gang or high stakes situation, that’s an easy way to get killed, especially since your summoning ability is in its infancy.”

Sinking into the mass of bubbles, Senna’s face turned red.

She’s right, I don’t know what got into me. Bullies piss me off, but I’ve never been one to intervene and put myself in danger.

“Sorry, mom…”

“You don’t have to apologize, I’m not mad at all, I just worry about your safety. We got you out of a coma, let’s not put you back into one.”

After the bath, Senna crawled into bed to practice reading more, exhausted from the day. If the walk to the park and back hadn’t been draining enough; she realized there was a cost to summoning as well. Every muscle from her neck down was sore. Still, the cost felt completely worth the result, knowing she had made a difference in someone’s life.

Eventually, Celica called Senna down to dinner where a spread of pasta, salad, and breadsticks awaited.

This world has pasta!? That seals the deal, I really don’t ever wanna go back!

Taking a seat, they made idle conversation until the topic turned towards Senna’s new powers. Her curiosity had been nipping at her heels since the moment Rez’nir appeared beside her at the park. Being an unusual and less than common profession, she was curious to understand her abilities.

“We didn’t talk about it much since Rez’nir appeared in the garden, but I was wondering about my ability to summon and speak to aethos.” Her voice was somewhat low, eyes looking at the dish below her.

“What do you want to know..?” Celica’s eyes rested on her daughter, a shine of adoration in them. “Actually, before you do, I want to apologize about that.”

Confused, Senna raised her gaze up at Celica.

“What for…?”

Celica paused, thinking about her words for a moment, before continuing.

“Although I do standby exercising caution about what situations you may find yourself in, it’s also my fault for not having this conversation sooner with you about your ability to harness the power of the aethos. For that, I apologize.” As she finished her thought, she reached out an open hand to grasp Senna’s.

Cheeks slightly flushed; Senna pushed around a piece of tortellini anxiously before responding.

“I know, I’ll be more cautious going forward, I’m sorr-,” Pausing for a moment as she processed her mother’s words, she nearly stumbled over her response. “Wait, what? Why are you sorry?” She couldn’t hide the surprise in her tone, taken aback that a parent would apologize for an error they made, even if Senna wasn’t quite sure what Celica was apologizing for yet.

“Because I should’ve addressed the topic right after it happened, not wait several weeks until you have an encounter with an otherworldly creature taking advantage of a tense situation. So, with that said, ask anything you’d like about aethos and summoners! I don’t have all the answers, but I do know enough to give you an idea.”

Senna would be lying if she hadn’t been thinking about the encounter since it happened. It was her first real experience with an otherworldly creature since arriving, let alone struggling to process the fact that she now had the opportunity to pursue potentially superhuman powers.

“So what really are the aethos? You told me a little about them before, but I imagine that was that was the answer you’d tell a small child.”

“Yes, you’re not wrong. Although they are similar to the gods, we don’t know for certain who came first. Several realms orbit and intersect our physical world, one of them being Aeth, the realm of the aethos. Their world is thought to be the main source of mana for our world; a waterfall of energy that feeds our jects collectively, fueling not just our souls but also our magical energy, summoning, etc.”

Sipping her water, Celica continued.

“For reference, the other realms are: Nethyria, Irador, and Rasuum. The realm of gods, the afterlife, and the realm of monsters respectively.”

“With that being said, what the aethos are actually is still a mystery. Some scholars think they’re possibly mana having taken a physical form to interact with the physical realm. If this is true, it begs the obvious question: is mana a sentient being in it of itself? Is magic an expression of its form? Are aethos each their own individual creature or different facets of one vast, singular, cosmic entity? They’re so aloof and think in such alien, abstract ways that mortal peoples might never comprehend the true machinations of their hearts and minds.”

Digesting her words alongside the incredible meal, Senna asked her next query.

“So why do summoners exist? Even if there is a tax to pay, so to speak, for borrowing their powers or making contracts with them, if they’re such powerful magical entities, what benefit do they get from mortals?”

Her eyes shining at Senna’s salient question, Celica nodded.

“Smart girl. That’s what many of us would like to know. I think the popular consensus is that it gives them an anchor in our world since they don’t possess static, physical bodies themselves. What’s more, and this is my own pet theory, but… I think they find mortals endearing little creatures, like we might view a cat or dog, and it’s for their own entertainment.”

“So a literal pet theory?” Senna’s silly grin made it evident how proud of this pun she was.

Chuckling, Celica nodded again.

“I have three more questions… for now, that is. First, how do you make a contract with an aethos? Second, can you contract with multiple aethos?”

“You must simply ask them when you’ve encountered one. Some may require offerings; others may ask you to prove yourself. As for the second question, the short answer is yes. From my understanding, the average summoner usually has three or four that they’ve contracted.”

“Interesting… huh, that’s so cool!” Senna’s eyes shifted back and forth and she pondered the responses.

“And your third question, dear?” Celica raised an eyebrow out of curiosity.

“Well… about that…” feeling very sheepish, Senna felt silly asking her final question. “Are you okay with me becoming a summoner?”

“Yes, it’s actually somewhat reassuring, even if there can be other risks.” Her expression was thoughtful as she responded.

“Wait, really?!”

“Honestly… Yes, mostly because some aethos become quite attached to their summoner. Knowing that such a powerful entity is watching out for you when I’m not there would help me sleep a bit easier at night. At least, until you’re older and have enough experience under your belt. Even besides being a child now, your thirty years of experience were with a world that was fundamentally different.”

“Oh… No, I get that. I guess I do have one more question, though, it feels a bit silly to ask.”

“Go ahead. We can clean up and go read together after.” Her smile was pleasant as she spoke the words. Senna wondered how many months, years, or decades it’d take for Celica’s motherly nature to stop giving her a strange warmth in her chest that she had always yearned for.

“Well.. I remember you mentioning it before, but are there schools to attend for kids that want to be adventurers or mages, or whatever else?”

“Yes, our city has a joint venture between several colleges for children aged twelve on up, known as Brydelgard Academy. It’s the school I attended, after leaving an orphanage in Hague, a city a day or two away from here.”

An orphanage? She hasn’t mentioned this before…

“If this is the path you’d like to pursue, I’d be so proud if you wanted to attend the same academy, I did…”

Goosebumps cascading down her person, Senna tried to contain her excitement. She knew that this wasn’t just a game, that this was a lifelong journey being set out in front of her. Despite that, daydreams of being whisked away to a better life dominated her mental landscape for the better part of her life. Thinking back on Celica’s comment to just want to be selfish for a moment, she allowed herself to savor the moment. As stars filled her eyes, she nearly leapt from her chair, abandoning her fork as it clattered loudly onto the plate below.

“YES!”

A touch startled by the ecstatic outburst; a hint of blushing ran across Celica’s face as she smiled in response to Senna’s excitement.

“I’ll be honest with you, mom… It’s a pretty common daydream for people on Earth to be whisked away to a fantasy world where things like magic or mythical creatures exist. If I sound excited, it’s because I was one of those people. I’m trying to stay rational and level headed because I know this isn’t a game and shouldn’t be taken lightly.”

Setting the fork that she had abruptly abandoned aside on a cloth napkin, she pushed her plate forwards.

“I don’t know if it’s my emotions getting carried away because I’m a kid again, or if it’s because an actual dream is coming true, but I desperately want to get to know this world, fall in love with it, and develop the strength to protect it.”

“And together, we can help you reach that dream,” Celica’s smile shone warmer than the sun had been those late spring days.

After clearing the table and cleaning the dishes, the pair retired to the living room where they read books and made small talk the rest of the evening.