I walked through the packed dirt streets of Niu Village at a sedate pace. Even if I had seen the sights thousands of times already, I had gained a new perspective on them. The building exteriors were all made primarily of stone, the same sandy brown color as the clinic, with wooden structures inside to allow easy remodeling.

The overall architecture style felt like a strange mix of Medieval with Mesoamerican influences. Exterior walls were slightly slanted between floors with ornamental designs around doors and windows. The existence of mages capable of shaping stone and wood made construction less of a hassle.

I waved to Eroan, one of the blacksmith apprentices, as I passed by his workshop. He looked back mid swing of his hammer and the tool missed the metal he had been shaping. I winced at the ringing sound of the hammer hitting the anvil. As I went on my way the blacksmith, Anlyth, started to lecture his apprentice.

Niu village was built as a large circle with the Mother Tree, a tree hundreds of meters high, at its center. Built into the tree were the administration buildings, the school, and library. At the base were the kitchens and bath house. Off to one side was a large circular plaza where meals and festivals were held.

Around it were various workshops that provided essentials like clothes, weapons, furniture, and so on. The clinic was further from the center alongside one of the big streets. It was also built around a tree, one only sixty meters tall, which served as the base for the various greenhouses that were used to grow potion ingredients.

Due to the existence of the system, literacy and numeracy were important skills and so all children were taught to read and count early. They were also taught village history, about the local ecosystem, and more. It was also where all children were taught the basics of the village's fighting styles and how to use weapons without injuring themselves.

Classes usually lasted half a day, the rest was free time. Kids who wanted to earn some beads did some simple jobs around the village or they spent their time playing scouts with practice swords and bows. At around twelve seasons, school gave way to training and apprenticeships.

For my part, I was fourteen seasons, around twenty-eight human years, and I had been an apprentice healer for two seasons. I expected to graduate within one or two seasons once I unlocked my class. After that … I would see.

Vel had chosen this path due to her love of plants and was by far the best between us at tending the gardens in the greenhouses. I was in it for the magic. Young Liscura had been fascinated by the discipline and I shared her interest. The interest had started in earnest when Breknir had given a demonstration during a festival when she was five seasons old. Breknir wasn't only a healer, he was also a master of elemental magic and the display of magical prowess had awed young Liscura.

"Lili!"

A voice pulled me out of my observations, I turned just in time to catch a white haired missile coming my way. I caught my sister just in time and she clamped onto me like a vise. She was much shorter than me, like our mother, and her head barely reached my chest.

"You're out," Lussernia said, "I know Breknir said you'll be fine but I was so worried."

I hugged her close and patted the top of her head.

"You don't have to worry anymore," I consoled her, "I'm fine now, all recovered."

"I visited you as often as I could," she released me from her deadly hug, "but you were always asleep."

"How long was I out? Breknir didn't tell me."

"About a week. I really thought you were going to die."

Her eyes were full of worry and pain.

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"But I didn't," I gave her a reassuring smile, "and now I can't catch it anymore. So, what happened while I was away?"

"Well …"

Lussernia recounted the events of the last month. I hadn't been completely out but the fever had made the entire time an indistinct blur in my memory.

My sister had gone on her first hunt with the other trainees and had gained several levels in the process. I congratulated her, the first hunt was always the hardest. All the training and mock fights in the world didn't prepare you to face a monster that truly wanted you dead.

It reminded me I hadn't checked my own status yet, not that I expected anything to have changed. I made a small mental note to get to it eventually. I had plenty of free time after all.

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I parted ways with Lussernia, it was time for her to return to class. I continued my meandering walk through the village. Our house was located nearly on the opposite side of the village, around one of the village orchards, about a ten minutes walk away.

On the way there, I swung by a certain workshop, located a bit further from the center. One of the two clothiers in the village, made evident by the stylized loom engraved above the door and the many depictions of thread and cloth around the door.

"Heya mom," I waved as I entered.

It was always fascinating to watch artisans work their craft. Almost every class had access to a form of magic, sometimes broad, but most often specialized. My mother was currently weaving a length of cloth from several spools of dyed thread. The spider silk and hemp spools were arranged atop a wooden frame, their thread being guided by magic into a complex pattern.

"Lili," she perked up, "you're out?"

"I was well enough, Breknir let me go," I said. "With orders to rest for a few days," I added with a smile.

"You deserve them, not everyday someone your age survives the Ghost Fever. Saevel is already talking about organizing a celebration."

I blushed and buried my face in my hands. Saevel was one of the council members, she was the one in charge of organizing the seasonal festivals and other important events. I could have done without the attention but it really was something worth celebrating.

"As long as I don't have to do anything."

"I know, I know," she chucked, "I'll pass the message along."

With her work paused, my mother took me in a comfortable hug.

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Further away from the center, the landscape changed. Houses were built around an orchard or garden. They served as both a source of food and communal space for neighbors to meet and mingle. The advantage of Plant Mages was that the growth and yields could be increased manyfold, a small garden could produce food all year round in a fraction of the time.

I slipped between buildings and entered the courtyard. Most of the trees were still blooming but a few had already started to fruit. I plucked a plum-like fruit from a low hanging branch. They were among my favorites, sugary with a hint of acidity.

"I'm home," I declared as I crossed the threshold.

In the middle of the day, most of my family was out except for my maternal grandmothers. At four hundred they were enjoying their well earned retirement. Lythiene helped take care of the orchard with her plant magic class while her wife, Lorathana, mostly stayed home and occasionally helped at the clinic when her expertise was needed.

To most outsiders, they wouldn’t look a day past their prime. Lythiene was the same height as my mother and sister. She had a curvy yet muscular build that gave you no doubts that she could kick your ass and look good doing it. Her brilliant green eyes shone with wisdom and love. She tied her flowing silver hair into a loose bun which showed off her adorable round face.

"Lili, welcome back," Lythiene took me into a hug. "We were all so worried for you."

Lorathana for her part gave me a warm but knowing smile. Almost as if she had known all along that I would survive, a foregone conclusion. Though since her second class was a priestess of Gaia, maybe she had received some hints. She was also whom I had inherited my tall and lithe build and more angular face from. She had deep sea blue eyes while mine were blood red. Her hair was styled in an elegant princess cut.

"I have to rest for a few days," I said.

"What a terrible fate," Lythiene said in a humorous tone.

She was already corralling me towards the living room table. I didn't put up too much of a fuss and knelt down on the cushions next to the low table. Chairs and tables weren't a foreign concept but they were associated with a more formal setting. At home, people greatly preferred to sit lower on a messy pile of cushions.

She poured me a cup of tea from an earthen pot. The smell was incredibly enticing.

"New experiment?" I asked.

"The latest batch," she said proudly, "it came out excellent."

She was constantly experimenting with various species of tea plants. The small garden atop our house was a constantly changing gallery of colors as she mixed variants together with magic.

"Enough about the tea, how are you feeling?" Lythiene put her hand on mine.

"Glad it's over," I slumped down in relief, "I can move on now."

"It's a good mindset to have," she pulled me into a side hug, "it's not the last trial you will face."

I leaned on her and just enjoyed the smell of tea.