Hello, my name is Luminita.

Oh, was this the second time I've greeted you?

I'm not sure what to call you, but I'll refer to you as "you" here, if that's alright.

Today, I'd like to introduce you to my village, Alderwick.

But before that, let me briefly explain what happened to us after that day.

We had a bit of a hard time after that day.

We got lost, went around in circles, and all three of us were so tired we could barely walk... I thought we were done for.

That's when a travelling woman found us.

She took us in and brought us to a nearby town. We stayed at an inn together, she let us take a nice bath, and fed us delicious food. The flavours were a bit different from our country, but it was so delicious I could have cried.

But even after that, we couldn't find anyone to take us in for a while.

It seemed to have something to do with our home country and our inability to see spirits...

But the woman persistently persuaded the adults around us.

She said that this newly reformed country should have ideals that transcend status and race.

After several days, the one who finally offered to take us in was the village chief of Alderwick, where we now live. (His name is elder Seron).

While we were together, the woman told us many stories. It was all about things I didn't know and new ways of thinking, and it was so much fun!

She said people who do work like hers are called Hoshiwatari.

She left after bringing us to this village, but I'd like to meet her again.

I'll explain more about Hoshiwatari later.

Thanks to this Miss Hoshiwatari, we're now able to live in Alderwick.

It's been ten years since that day of the tornado in Plato, the Plains Country. I'm 16 years old now.

You know, the buildings in this village are made of rare limestone, and every house has this really cute honey colour.

The population is about 200 people, and it's famous for wheat and textiles. It's a small village, but everyone gets along well and it's a warm place.

I love the morning view from this village.

As dawn breaks, the boundary between the mountain range and the sky gradually turns white. It's still a bit cold at this time of year, and sometimes you can see your breath. In the midst of this, the sun slowly rises, and the cold ground gradually warms up.

It's like watching the world wake up, and it's really beautiful.

Let me introduce you to the people of Alderwick village.

First, there's Hester. She's our new mother who took us into her home...

She's a bit nagging, persistent, and can be rough around the edges, but she's a very kind person.

What? You think I'm being too harsh? I'm not badmouthing her, I promise!

On our days off, we make meals and sweets together.

The other day, you know, she couldn't get the firewood in the hearth to light, and she was swinging the fire poker around angrily.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Fire spirit, why won't you light? Are you scared or something?" she was saying. (Clara is really good at imitating Hester, and she often does it.)

I wonder if spirits really have anything to do with lighting fires in the hearth... I'm not really sure...

Next is Clara. Of course, we still live together.

Clara is very easygoing and doesn't mind at all when Hester gets angry at her.

The other day, she was scolded by Hester for the way she was mixing flour.

"Clara! Mix the flour more! Quickly! Carefully! Like this! Cha-cha-cha! Come on! Cha-cha-cha!"

Even with Hester yelling like this, Clara just leisurely replied, "Okay." Of course, she kept stirring the flour slowly. Can you believe it? I'd be upset for days if I was scolded even once.

Let's get back to talking about Clara.

She likes drawing, especially with watercolours.

Recently, she's been using soot from burned oil to draw with a brush. She draws things like sheep and rivers really well.

This technique apparently came from Vernal, the Forest Country, which is different from Plato, the Plains Country. It seems Plato and Vernal have been on good terms for a long time and have various exchanges.

There are many beautiful cherry trees planted in Alderwick, and these were also planted from Vernal, the Forest Country.

I learn about this kind of history from my brother Libel.

My brother... Libel has been studying at a city academy for the past six months. He's specialising in history, he says.

He comes back during breaks, but I still miss him a bit.

Now, let me introduce you to a bit more of the village!

There's a river flowing through the centre of this village, with cherry trees planted along it, children playing, it's really the centre of life here.

Playing in the river is forbidden, but those naughty kids sometimes go in barefoot to play. When that happens, they get scolded by the scary Grandma Maura.

The other day, the children were enjoying collecting pebbles in the river and fishing. Unfortunately, someone among them had thrown household garbage into the river. Grandma Maura came right away.

It went something like this:

"Hey, you little brats! Didn't I tell you not to go into the river?"

Grandma Maura was yelling, waving her cane.

"Oh no, we've been caught! Run!"

The children tried to escape, but Grandma quickly cornered them.

"We need to take care of this river! If we take care of nature, we'll stay healthy too! Not just us, but the fish living in the river, the water plants, and the tiny creatures we can't see. Even the bread we eat every day, we can eat it because this water is clean!"

I watched this scene, thinking it was a very important lesson. The children hung their heads, looking dejected.

"You know, I've grown up with this river since I was as small as you. Sometimes, I can hear the voice of the river spirit and see its form. If we take care of this river, we won't get sick, and our wheat won't fail. Do you understand?"

The lecture time had begun.

I felt a bit sorry for them, but I was nodding along as I listened. But the children were talking back a little.

"But I've never seen a river spirit."

"My dad caught a cold the other day."

"I still don't really get it, but the older brother across the street said he saw a really strong spirit the other day!"

"Really!? How strong was it?"

"He said it was... a hundred... a thousand... ten thousand times stronger than the river spirit!"

Grandma Maura concluded the conversation sharply.

"You can't see spirits because you lack respect! If you take care of nature and follow your teachers properly, you should be able to see and hear them in a few years. Now, let's clean up the river!"

The children reluctantly obeyed and answered in unison.

"Sorry, old monster."

"Who are you calling an old monster! And you're not apologising to me!"

After this, the children properly cleaned up the river.

There are many other wonderful people I can't introduce them all - like Uncle Sadias who paints cherry blossoms by the riverside, Mr. Fenton who prays at the shrine under the bridge every morning.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The villagers warmly welcomed us orphans and now accept us as members of the village.

That's what I think, but... Libel seems to be thinking about something sometimes.

The other day, he was looking at the river and murmured, "Homeland..."

When I told Hester about this, she said, "Boys go through that phase! Just leave him be!"

I feel like it might be something different... what do you think?

As Libel was lost in thought like that, the river he was gazing at was reflecting the morning light, sparkling. It was as if the whole village was beautifully illuminated.

You know, I thought Libel's profile looked a bit cool at that moment.

Lastly... let me tell you about the biggest troublemaker, me.

Most people living in Almatria can sense the presence of spirits using their five senses. Those who have trained can not only sense them but also interact with spirits themselves.

In our world, the technique of communicating with spirits like this is called Phasmanicus.

They say that newborn babies can see spirits more clearly than us adults. But around the age of two, they lose this ability.

As they grow older, things start to change again around the age of ten. They start to see spirits, hear their voices, and sense their presence. It's around this time that we start practising Phasmanicus under a teacher.

In our village, there's an woman called the "Master" who helps train the village children in Phasmanicus.

But... you know, don't you? My siblings and I are very poor at Phasmanicus. Or rather, we've hardly ever sensed the presence of spirits since we were born.

Because we've never sensed them, of course we can't interact with spirits either. In other words, we have almost no talent for Phasmanicus...

Why can't I do what everyone else seems to do so naturally? Even when I receive Phasmanicus training from the Master, it doesn't go well at all. The villagers are kind to me, but I feel terrible thinking I'm causing them trouble because I can't do it.

That day when we escaped from the tornado and were helped by the Hoshiwatari woman. I thought she was so lovely. She didn't use Phasmanicus or any special power to persuade those around us. She used her words to make them acknowledge us.

She said: You can't just let others decide how to treat you. You need to gain correct knowledge, accumulate experiences with your own body, and look for things you can share with others.

She said that the job of Hoshiwatari is to travel the world, research culture and history in various ways, and create a world where people from different countries and those who can't see spirits can all get along.

I wanted to be like that her. I wanted to become someone who could talk confidently about what they're doing.

You know, Alderwick has been losing children recently. Among children under 10, there are only the four naughty kids I introduced earlier and one baby. Even though it's such a wonderful village, at this rate, the village might disappear.

Of course, it might not actually disappear for many, many years. But even when we're having fun chatting or eating delicious food, when I think that this life might someday disappear, my chest tightens with pain. The possibility that the future might be cut off, just its existence makes me feel gloomy.

The reason I told you about this village was because of this. I wanted you to remember why I'm aiming to become a Hoshiwatari...

I've ended up telling you a sad story!

In short, I wanted to become a Hoshiwatari, create a world where everyone gets along, and make it possible for many people from outside to come to this village.

Of course, I know it's not as easy as it sounds. Some villagers might dislike outsiders coming in. We'd have to think about food, housing, and clothing when more people come. There might be more fights due to different ways of thinking.

But I think it would be wonderful if we could create a world where no matter how much we fight, we could say "I'm sorry" the next day and make up again. Do you think it's just a pipe dream?

I once told Clara about this idea. And you know what she said?

"That's impossible if you think about it normally... Big sister, you're dreaming too much."

How mean, right?

...Let's get back to the story. So, to become a Hoshiwatari, there are various tests and studies, but there's an initial hurdle.

That is to conduct research on history and culture, and submit it to the country along with recommendation letters from two people skilled in Phasmanicus. Only when this is accepted can you start on the path to becoming a Hoshiwatari.

They say Hoshiwatari often interact with spirits as they travel the world, so they need to be able to use at least a minimum of Phasmanicus.

Phasmanicus... Yes, here too.

Even so, I'm going to try my best.

As we spent our days like this, the time eventually came for me to undergo Alderwick's coming-of-age ritual.

***

In our village, there's a ceremony called the coming-of-age ritual. Boys undergo the ceremony at 18, and girls at 16. We go to the ruins near the village and spend a night there. During that time, we communicate with the spirits of the ruins and report the results to Grandfather Seron and the "Master".

Three days before the day of my ritual, I was practising spirit sensing with the Master as usual.

You know, the Master is a tall woman with beautiful black hair.

My hair is all fluffy, and if I don't braid it, it looks like it's exploded. But the Master has this long, flowing hair that moves like the wind. I'm a bit envious.

During the training, I was concentrating with my eyes closed. I was sitting on the ground with both hands open outwards, making a gesture as if receiving something formless with my palms. It's a gesture called "mudra" that the Master taught me. The Master was standing in front of me, watching with her arms folded. Between us was a ceramic incense burner, with thin smoke and the warm scent of earth wafting through the air.

"Luminita, can you sense anything?" the Master asked. I could feel sweat beading on my forehead.

"A cloth... or something like a warm membrane... seems to be flying around..."

Hearing my answer, the Master replied in a slightly gentle voice.

"I see. Let's end here for today. It seems we have a visitor."

As the tension broke, I let out a big breath. Then I noticed that Libel had come, and I immediately ran over to him.

"Libel, you came!"

"Well, well, you might not be able to sense wind spirits, but you can immediately tell when your beloved brother is here," the Master said a bit sarcastically. My face grew hot.

"I'm sorry, teacher. We were still practising Phasmanicus..."

"It's fine. I was thinking you've been pushing yourself a bit too hard lately. Let's end the morning session here."

We sat down and chatted for a bit. We talked about trivial topics like how Libel's school was going and recent happenings in the village, but it was fun.

Then, we started talking about my training.

"Three days from now, it's Luminita's ritual. This year it's the ruins investigation at the edge of the village, right? Have you decided on your companion yet?"

For the past few years, an older person has been required to accompany the ceremony.

"I'm planning to ask Libel."

"I see."

The Master smiled a little.

"It's an old-fashioned ritual. You just go to the ruins and communicate with some spirit. It might take time, but it's not a pass-or-fail test. You should take it easy."

As she said this, the Master had a slightly puzzled look on her face. Probably because I had a more serious expression than she expected.

"What's this, Luminita? You still haven't given up?"

I nodded quietly.

"That time, she brought us to this village and introduced us to wonderful people. Just as I was helped, I want to do the same for someone else."

What I had in mind was submitting a research report and getting recommendation letters from Phasmanicus practitioners. For this coming-of-age ritual, I planned to carefully investigate the ruins and create a survey record. I thought I'd ask Grandfather Seron to write a recommendation letter with his name on that record. I needed recommendation letters from two people, so I'd need one more besides Grandfather, but I thought I'd think about that later.

Actually, I had told the Master many times about my aim to become a Hoshiwatari. Each time, the Master looked a bit pained. And she would warn me, "You'd better give up." But recently, it seems like she's starting to give in to my stubbornness.

The Master said "Do as you like" and laughed.

See?

"I heard they're using the Fourfold Grove for this year's ceremony. It's not a place with large wild animals, but there are rumours of outsiders coming and going. Be a bit careful."

After the Master's advice, the three of us chatted a bit more. It was time for breakfast, so we decided to part ways.

"I'll borrow your brother for a bit."

Saying this, the Master started preparing a game with Libel. It's from the Master's country, Vernal, the Forest Country, a territory-capturing game using black and white stones. I find it difficult and don't really understand it, so I don't play much. I decided to go home ahead of them.

I was a bit curious about what they would talk about, but as I was leaving, Libel smiled at me. It was as if he was saying, "Don't worry." I nodded back to Libel before heading home. The important thing was that my coming-of-age ritual was soon, and I needed to continue my Phasmanicus training for it.

Three days passed, and the day of the coming-of-age ritual arrived.

Looking back now, this day might have been the turning point in our fate.