Currently I was standing in front of a temporary housing unit. Exquisitely sculpted white marble walls with sturdy light oak support beams as fortification, gave the house a distinguished look. Decorated window panels along with the high quality asphalt layering the rooftop made me slightly nervous.

Autumn, who was perched daintily on my shoulders gently swinging her legs, had voluntarily given herself the nickname “tun tun” for an unknown reason. She seemed sure of it so I know she probably had a solid reason . I thought of her as a twin sister now , not so much as a daughter.

In the past few days we made our way from my town of origin Marchheim, now in ruins , to the bigger city of Helaus , Or as Ms.Hall would evaluate from the jungles to society. Perceptive as I was I hadn’t learned much, she was tight lipped and her years of training shone through everything she did.

Opening up the door to the temporary lodging was like opening a portal to another world .Large wooden doors sent a loud creaking sound as we entered

Creeek

Warm air blasted on my face as my eyes adjusted to my new surroundings, now noted by everyone in the room . Curious gazes they turned their heads to us, analyzing their new visitors , and we did the same.

Firstly there was an old and aged beast woman similar to a lycanthrope ,legs and hands covered in light gray fur chained to a rocking chair. Long green dress old and homely , she slowly rocked herself back and forth , in a fashion reflecting her elderly age. Due to her facial structure her teeth could permanently be seen but luckily she wasn’t the type to drool.

Next was an adult male dwarf , wearing brown smut stained trousers , blue eyes , and a bald head. Holding a red book on forging theory , he took a quick look at me, interest fleeting as he casually dismissed me . That was before he placed his eyes on commander hall.

Lastly there was a green eyed girl with black fleece and the body of a lamb.Small black horns protrude from the sides of her face curling straight instead of sideways. Her simple armor mixed with its leather undercoating aside what really struck off her difference was the spear twice her size made of what looked like Ivory and bone.

“My my is it finally my time to die?” said the wolf woman while looking off into the distance

“She watching you “tun tun whispered in my ear as he pointed to the wolf

Looking displeased, Hall interjected “Hush! , this is Autumn. A new housemate of yours . He is joining the military under special circumstances and needs to be seen by one of the king's attendants immediately.”

Looking over them she continued “ he will be staying here for a few months while i go to the capital. “

Pointing at the granny she started introducing us , “ this old dog is Kahja , The cyprus effie , and the dwarf Herolause. Now that you know each other, be good, or else. “ Pausing there ,

she addressed me

“ you can tell them your secret under your conditions, these aren't necessarily friends so understand that. Young or not you’re in the real world now and you're going to have to fend for yourself.” She said the last part as condolences

Handing me her short sword she left, closing the door behind her.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

I understood that this was her last gesture of goodwill and that was fine .To the rest of the world I was alone but in reality I was currently giving tun tun a piggyback ride. Her cheerful demeanor , lifted my spirits as well. She was truly a cinnamon bun to be protected

Right, what was I anxious about.

After a small acknowledgement my new acquaintances continued their day like clockwork, leaving me to go on with mine. It wasn’t strange considering to them I was an ordinary human.

Turning my attention to my thoughts I wondered about my next steps. Mana. I needed to study It. I realized that if I studied mana better I would have a better understanding of what exactly happened and why. Not only that but I was properly uneducated , I knew nothing about the outside world. Embarrassed as I am to admit it , I never considered a world outside of my village.

Maybe the commander wasn’t being prejudiced and I truly lived in the heart of the wilderness before.

Taking a gander around my home , there was nothing but furniture and modern kitchen utensils and other homely appliances. They all looked new and untouched, strange. Also this house had electricity , light lambs in crucial places kept the building feeling safe and cozy. The light lamps were unique devices that I had never seen before but this was all a new experience .

“She's still looking at you … I think we should follow the guy with the book “ tun tun warned

Giving a side eye to the lady in the rocking chair I took a quick glance , Only to see her continuing her swaying. She was sneaky… good thing tun tun was here. Hero-something i think his name was

“ why “ I asked tun

“He’s the friendliest , the other two are dangerous, “ she said, pointing to the wolf and lamb combination.

Was this her intuition or did she have the ability to gauge a person's intentions . Taking a look at the lamb melodically practicing spear routines and the wolf pretending she wasn’t watching me

Knowing that I was being watched made me hyper aware. Trying to pretend, I awkwardly stumbled towards the cellar door towards our bald dwarf.

Heavy

The door to Herolause’s room strained my muscles to move. Though the thought of me not being able to get out of this situation gave me strength allowing me to lift it slightly.

Holding the heavy door above me, I scraped my slender body inside the crevice .

Bright was the only word I could describe as dozens of light lanterns covering the wall.

The staircase had handrails , allowing me to carefully traverse downwards.

In the distance I pinpointed a bald head shining and reflecting the light from the lamps , Herolause was tinkering with a gizmo of some creation.

Mhmm hmm hh

He was distracted , deep in work he looked so focused, it felt wrong to disturb him. Tipping toeing down the last step I quietly waited in the corner of the room observing my surroundings. Books , papers and gadgets littered the floor and any unallocated space.

Tun tun and I watched him for about an hour keeping track of his mannerisms and passion. Truly dedicated to his craft , he craned his neck and back fiddling with small silver instruments trying to wire the inside of some machine.

Putting down his tools , he spun his brown rolling chair leaning back with his arms spread and posture slouched.

“Ahhh , tcch” an unsettled grunt escaped from his mouth. After another deep sigh the dwarf finally opened his eyes . Seeing me on the edge of the room he jumped up letting out a girlish scream, while doing some kung fu moves.

“Eep , u dare!”

Realizing it was only a child he face palmed and let his guard down.

Deepening his voice he tried to reclaim lost dignity “Hello, Autumn I believe? What are you doing in my room?” Herolause asked directly , slightly annoyed

The goal at first was just to get away from Rahja and Effie but being asked so frankly made me freeze up. Uh , i needed an answer , looking around i sought a cop out. Oh wait! The books, that's right I needed information on mana and he had a lot of books.

Putting two and two together I asked him “ I saw you carrying a red book earlier, … i was wondering if you had any books on mana or magic.”

Hearing that his eyes changed from negligible discomfort to a minor sparkle.

“Oh, studious young fellow are we , my , my ,well you should have just said so.”

He still didn’t exude enthusiasm but I got the feeling he wouldn’t discourage a child from learning.

Standing up he was about a foot taller than me . making his way to a bookshelf he filtered through his source material.

“Mhh i might have a few works that fit the description but... mhhh. Ah here it is “

Handing me a large blue book with the words “ Secrets Of Mana “ engraved in white on its cover he continued “ I don't think I properly introduced myself my name is Herolause former chief engineer of The WhiteFlame Society , and whom might you “ he extended an olive branch

The air changed to a feel of familiarity as I got more comfortable with him “ I am Autumn , Son of Maple and Woodley. “