Chapter 3

-A First Lesson of Sorts: The Existence of Magical Creatures-

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Our peaceful walk ends as we reach the library. Milesian, who carried me all the way back, places me down on the couch and grabs a chair, sitting on the opposite side of the coffee table. Still, unbeknownst to me exactly what to say, I decide not to act weird about what just happened and proceed as I would without thinking about the fact. It's when I rest the basket with the still-fresh grapes atop the surface of the coffee table, making sure to not place it accidentally on a book, that Milesian talks.

She leans close to the basket and takes one of the grapes out. "A present?"

I watch as Milesian goes back to the same raven skull form of hers; now in the light, I can see that it transforms like smoke; it surrounds her face to make that 'human' face she can choose to have. "Yes, it was Miss Rose's; she asked us to have it as they would probably go bad otherwise."

"A kind gesture; I'm sure Loa will find a use to these. Have you had the opportunity to meet her?"

Nodding my head, I take a moment to look at the window near me, focusing my eyes on the forest as a soft breeze passes by, shaking the leaves and making some lucky rays of sun peak from between them. "Yes and no, we didn't have the chance to talk much. I only asked her for directions when she handed me the letter and box."

"You'll have the chance to get to know her more since you'll be staying with us. A fair warning, though. Her capabilities to talk and hear are compromised; the way she understands is by lip reading, so when talking, look directly at her." Milesian comments, taking the grape she was holding and eating it. "For now, to start your studies, I would like to take you outside for a field exploration, but first, let us eat breakfast."

A moment of excitement runs through me; exploring the forest seems fun. Well, if we manage to not find anything wanting my blood, that will be a plus, but I can't imagine how many creatures exist out there—magical creatures. It can't be that only monsters reside out there in the shadows of the night.

We both rise to our feet, and Milesian guides me downstairs, where we walk straight up until reaching the central bookshelf. Once there, we go right, where a curtain serves as a door that is slid open as she takes her cane and uses it to do so. A small but comfortable kitchen stands proudly with white, creamy walls and a ceramic design. In the center, there is a dining table with four wooden chairs. It has everything a normal kitchen would normally have: a fridge, dishwasher, oven, and so on. The smell of something sweet grabs me by the nose and enters my nasal path, traveling down to its resting point in my lungs.

It is only now that I notice something about Milesian I didn't before; on her back, a pair of small black demonic wings stay quietly and unmoving, only swaying by her motion as she walks, until there isn't one anymore, as they seem to disappear to make it easier for her to sit down. Loa stands facing the countertop, putting on a plate what is the source of the good smell: pancakes. I walk beside her, and she seems to notice my movement, turning to face me immediately with curious eyes. I open my mouth to talk but decide not to once again, only allowing a polite smile to take on my lips as I raise the basket with the grapes for her. Instantly, she seems to perk up like a kid on Christmas and look at me with a renewed shine in her eyes, almost as if asking for permission to take them, and of course, I nod my head.

She takes the basket, bowing her head two times rapidly before opening the fridge and taking what looks like homemade whipped cream and putting it atop the pancakes, seconds later sprinkling some grapes in it too. Milesian taps her cane on the ground, and, as if it were a call for her attention, Loa turns her head towards the source.

"From this day onward, this girl, Noma, will be staying with us in the library as my apprentice; please do treat her as part of the family," Milesian says so emotionlessly that the fact she just said my name almost passed by me. I look at her confusedly, but before I can even let the question escape me, she answers. "When you were at the village, I had one of my ravens follow you to make sure nothing would happen that could compromise your safety, like yesterday. Now more than ever, I have to reaffirm that your safety is of the utmost importance to me. As your master, my job is to keep you safe, even before you accepted the deal." As she says that, on her hand, she demonstrates what she is talking about by summoning a raven from seemingly nowhere, but a closer look reveals that it came from inside her clothes, first without form, just like smoke.

The raven jumps from her shoulder to the table, and for some seconds it only stares at me creepily before making a loud, raspy caw; its eyes are deep black, barely looking like anything alive, showing me that, even if it mimics perfectly a raven, it doesn't exactly seem to be one. Soon after, as Loa places the breakfast atop the table, it stealthily steals one grape from Milesian's pancake and disappears back to her body, like smoke in the air.

Loa, who was waiting for this display to end, nods her head at the earlier comment and looks at me with a determined face. Then she puts a hand on my shoulder and sits me down on the chair before redirecting herself to the counter and starting to make more pancakes. This gives me time to look out of the window again, seeing and understanding more of this place, even if slowly, by bits and pieces at a time. The back of the library seems to be built on a lower part of the hill in this forest, so even on this floor there is a door leading to a veranda connected to something I can't quite see seated down, but even so, it entices me to discover later.

There is a strange feeling of sitting down with people to eat breakfast; this isn't something I'm used to, so I awkwardly look at the table as if the wood is the most interesting thing there is. Almost on point, a book is slid across the table and reaches my vision, one resembling an old leather diary; my attention is peaked. I raise my vision and only find Milesian looking at me. "If you feel uncomfortable, why not read for now? This diary has information relevant from the forest, something I think you'll find useful when we go out to explore."

There isn't much to say but, "Thank you."

I grip the diary in my hands and slowly untie the rope closure, seeing it pop open from the overwhelming number of pages that far surpass what it was designed to have. Yellowed and old, my eyes lock on the first page as the name of the owner is written in ink, Ayla.M. Turning the pages, the second one is filled with writing along with a sketch of a small, round sheep with a name on top of their head: Woo.

'This small version of a sheep has a thick coat of white magical wool that makes it look spherical. Its small head pokes out of the front of the wool, along with two short horns. Woo's eyes have yellow sclerae, black irises, and white, horizontal pupils. Two large ears are visible behind gray strings of wool that resemble braided pigtails. Woo's wool covers its entire body and most of its short hooved legs, along with a tail that is barely visible on its rear end.

They are sometimes hard to come by, but with a little bit of work, they can be domesticated, as they possess the intelligence compared to a dog. If you find one, my recommendation would be to feed them magical energy and take some of their wool; you just need to reach out and pluck it like cotton candy. Their wool is very valuable, and its magical properties can be used in the making of magical items as well as some medicine.'

As soon as I absorb all the information from this page and try to move on to the next, Milesian's gloved hand stops atop the diary and guides it down back to the table, bringing my attention to a gaze locked on me. Loa rests the plate with my breakfast on the table and crosses her arms, tapping her feet rhythmically on the ground as she waits impatiently for me to eat the food she just made. Her eyes glow with murder intent.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I shift in my seat and slide the diary back to Milesian. Straightening up my back, I force myself to remember that I'm a slow reader, so what looks like it takes a minute to read for me can be five. "Thank you, Loa."

My awkward smile brings a smile of her own—small and somewhat hard to spot, but still there. She only bows her head before taking Milesian's plate, which, on a closer look, is clean; not even a fraction of her food resides on the clean, white porcelain. With my only option now being to eat, I gladly dig in the sweet breakfast. The way the grapes add a layer of flavor to the pancakes and cream is divine, like it was always meant to be this way.

This goes for a while as I take my time to eat, but the minute I'm done with the breakfast, Milesian loses no time in rising to her feet and looking at me, giving me the nod I was waiting for—the one that signals we are going out now. "Loa, while we are out, can you get the attic in a better state? You can take some of the furniture from the storage if needed." Loa nods her head and grabs a broom from the side of the fridge before redirecting herself in the direction of the attic.

We take the door out of the kitchen and step onto the veranda I was observing before. To my right, it continues all around the library, with a small stair leading back to the main entrance. In the distance, I spot the same river from before resting nearby in a tight hug with the forest; all the water runs near a big pond just a little down in front of us that is accessible by a stair in the veranda's center. My guide starts moving, and so do I, shaking off my clear, mesmerized state so as not to stay behind.

"Before I show you the surroundings, how is your head with all that transpired?" She stops midway to the left side of the library, the place that, if I remember correctly, was a garden. "I'm sure this morning was busy for your head."

I nod my head, surprised at her sudden question. "Yes, even if everything happened a little too quickly for me, I think this was somehow inevitable. Of the choices I had, this one is the least risky, and besides, what you said back there about protecting me even before I accepted to be your apprentice brought me a little bit of peace about my decision. So thank you."

"There isn't a need to mention it, but regardless of that, I'll accept your kind words. It takes a weight off my shoulder to see your head in the right place." She pats my shoulder two times before we resume our walk. "For the little time you spent here, what are your thoughts on the library? Does the place suit your comfort, or would you like to suggest a change?"

"Oh no, the place is magical; tons of interesting books, various places to lay down or sit while reading, the attic is nice, and the tub is very comfortable."

While talking, we reach the garden. Flowers of all types stand across this field, coexisting with a small, controlled grass. The river takes part of it as it makes its way through the garden, maintaining the soil with a natural source of water where some of the roots grow to drink, clearly visible on the edge of the dirt.

My curiosity grows too great, and the question I was holding escapes me. "That priest said something about a church law, one that you are prohibited from having any contact with humans; why is that?"

"The reason as a whole would take some time to explain, and it would bring too much unnecessary information that would only serve to hurt your head."

"I'm sorry for asking."

"There's no need to be sorry; perhaps with time, we can have this conversation. Now, let's focus on the exploration." She raises her cane and points towards the big flowers in the field, a pair of sunflowers. "Tell me, do you see any movement coming from there?"

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I look at the direction she's pointing, and for a second, nothing. Then, upon really focusing, I see something moving, like a cotton ball rolling towards us at high speed—so fast that it becomes impossible to dodge. The thing hits me straight up in the chest and makes me fall down; it doesn't hurt to be hit, and strangely, not falling as well. It takes me a few blinks to realize why. Curious white horizontal eyes stare at me, taking a serious second to focus on my face. I feel what I think is a tail swish around near my leg as it lays on my chest without a care.

Below me, exactly what I fell on top of is another of these little sheep; it lays flat on the ground while a butterfly rests on its nose, not even acknowledging my weight atop it. The concentration on the little thing is admirable. With a gentle hand, I reach for the face of the one on my chest and gently caress it with my index finger, not because it is too small; they are about the size of a basset hound, but just to test the waters. The woo sniffs my finger at first before nuzzling its face in it; there's a strange static feeling that takes over my hand before it goes away.

"Their reaction to you is interesting to observe; they are not usually this friendly. Most of the time, you need constant work on their trust to get to this level of touch." Milesian, to demonstrate what she's talking about, reaches for the one atop me, and as soon as her fingers graze the little sheep's side, it retracts its limbs and rolls away. "Maybe you have a natural affinity for some magical beings; we should study that further later on. For now, there's only one more creature I would like to show you that lives around the house and you'll probably interact with during your time learning basic spells and the way around magical medicine."

By turning her head around, Milesian propels me to look in the same direction as her; on the other side of the flowers, further from the river, a creature walks among the blue of the petals, painting part of the grass. A cute, horizon-blue elephant a little smaller than the woos irrigates some flowers devoid of the capability to reach its roots near the river; its big ears flap around happily as it does so, exposing the small caramel rocks growing on the edge of its ears and the bridge of its nose.

"Topah is what I call them," the witch comments with a distant look in her eyes. "They are a spiritual successor to Thophyni, a mage who roomed the earth in the first era of magic; they were someone whose love for flowers was so great that they are responsible for most studies about them. I never had the chance to meet them, but a person I know was quite fond of them; that is why I house them in this forest, as there aren't many of them in the world, at least not anymore." She taps her cane on the grass, and the thump sound makes the little elephant raise its eyes toward her, and upon noticing its summoner, excitedly runs to her meeting like a dog to its owner.

The little angel thingy stops by Milesian's leg after a full sprint and trumpets happily at seeing her; the witch looks at the small elephant, gesturing with her hand for it to sit before looking at me. Just before she starts talking, though, I sit down in the grass like the topah and watch as the creature stumbles closer to me until it, with some difficulty, climbs my lap cutely. "To start your studies in truthfulness, I'll take you to a workshop that belongs to a friend of mine so we can get you tools and more appropriate books to help your learning process. But just like the creatures here, you'll have to learn most things by yourself; a mage's path is one that must be taken individually. All I can do is help guide you in the right direction. Your instincts will be your best friend."

She takes one long look in the distance, lasting for about ten seconds, before looking back at the library. "I'm craving a good book at this moment; if you wish, you can stay outside for some more time, as I'll be in the living room for the time being."

Milesian disappears into the library, leaving the door behind her half-open, probably for me, as I put the topah on its feet and look for a tree to rest my back against. On the far side of the library, near the uncomplete and uncared-for dirt path leading to the main one, I find the perfect spot. As I walk towards it, the little elephant stays by my side, using the opportunity to jump around. Even if their jumps are not high, the energy in them speaks volumes to communicate their excitement to walk.

Upon reaching the tree, I put my backpack on the grass and rest my back against the trunk, allowing my lungs a deep intake of air as gravity makes me slide down, making my butt hit the grass ground gently. When I open the backpack, the emptiness of it is almost depressing. On the bottom, my sketchbook rests, hiding in its shadow my pencil and half-used eraser. Too, the cigarettes I bought stay there waiting for me to smoke them—something I have to fight against.

The wind caresses my cheek as it passes by, shaking the flowers and leaves, even taking some in their journey far away. My hands move in an overly familiar gesture as my fingers grasp the sketchbook and pencil, pulling them out of their rest in the backpack's shadow to the light that reaches my hand through the path in the leaves atop the tree.

The topah, in an exaggerated movement, raises its trunk and yawns, resting its soft, floppy ears in my lap and placing its head on my leg before slowly closing its eyes to the sleepiness that takes over. I concentrate my eyes on the small sheep roaming the field; there are three in total: one chases a butterfly around, stumbling and falling in failed attempts to catch it; another rolls around in a circle, only stopping as dizziness reaches their head; and the last watches me from the distance before rolling somewhere that I don't take note of, as the other one's actions inspire me to sketch.

Graphite marks the cleanliness of the white paper, and as time passes, I build the creature's form, starting geometrically, then giving it more details until I'm left with a pretty good sketch of the first one chasing the butterfly, maybe just a little overly cute, but still close to the real fluffiness they possess. What was supposed to be a quick sketch turns into an hour, during which I make the drawing of the woo rolling and of the topah sleeping, but little by little, the comfort of the situation and the nature ambiance sound of the forest makes me crave for a little nap, one feeling that, upon trying to ignore, only grows in strength until I can't resist anymore.

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Milesian's POV

"From all of the spells, to end up conjuring this one... perhaps I'm seeking a reason where there is none."

After a long examination of the spell book, I let go of it on the coffee table and turn my head to look out of the window, seeing Loa already looking outside; the reason why is Noma. Resting against a tree in the distance, the human sleeps soundly, surrounded by magical creatures. More and more, the events I witness in front of me entice my curiosity. I'm sure not all humans can manage to attract or befriend creatures in this way without any challenges or losing a great deal of time, but maybe some can trigger this reaction in them. It becomes clear that my choice was the right one.

I tap my cane on the floor and get Loa's attention. "She is a mystery, isn't she? The way the creatures are swarming over her so affectionately is rather interesting; I'm sure Marlowe will enjoy meeting her."

At the comment, Loa tilts her head in a silent question.

"Yes, we will be going to her meeting tomorrow, so as usual, please keep this place safe in our absence." As she nods her head, I finally decide to feed my lingering curiosity and go to wake up the sleeping princess.

Noma's POV

At the sound of footsteps approaching, my instinct slowly forces me to wake up. I try to move my body to adjust my back, but I find myself unable to do so because of the magical creatures from earlier. 'I must have fallen asleep without noticing' I think, checking the sketchbook in my hand with the drawings all finished up.

As I notice that the one approaching is Milesian, I rub my eyes to wake up some more. "I was out for how long?"

"About two hours; it's midday at this moment," She kneels down and takes one of the woo's, seemingly studying the sleeping creature before placing it back down and shooing them away. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling refreshed; the soft pillows made sure to make the rest comfortable," I say, petting the still-sleeping topah on the head, earning a sleepy groan from the creature. "I didn't notice I needed a nap this much."

"I'm relieved to see that's the case, but please do come with me back to the library; Loa will make lunch shortly." With a gloved hand, Milesian offers me help to get on my feet, which I appreciate and take without a second thought. The moment I'm up, the topah wakes up to the sudden movement, and with its cute eyes, it searches for something until its gaze stops on me. Happily, the creature trumpets and, with that, starts to walk back to the flowers. "Talking about Loa, she finished the cleaning of the attic. Feel free to rearrange anything you feel like and make yourself feel at home. If you wish to request anything more to add to the place, talk directly to Loa, and she will arrange it for you."

"Oh, okay. I feel like I didn't say that before, but thank you. The opportunity to learn magic, your words, and offering me a place to stay."

"This transaction works for both sides; believe me, you're offering me more research material than I ever had before; that makes us even. And too, your lack of fear about my appearance is appreciated; it makes it just easier to communicate."

"Well, you kind of saved me, so it would be unfair and extremely rude to fear or have any type of disgust towards you." With a gentle smile on my face, one specifically made for this moment, we go back to the library.

No more words are exchanged as she takes her path downstairs and allows me to check on the attic room before joining her.

One good thing is that the smell of dust is gone; now instead, the natural smell of the library takes over the room. Near the round window rests the table and chair I'd seen early this morning. On the side of it rests a tall chest of drawers and a small, empty bookshelf. Stuck to the wall by a small support, string lights make their way behind the desk, around the bookshelf, and on the wooden ceiling support atop me. Their light is weak at this time of the day, but, as there aren't many windows here, it helps maintain a good light level and ambiance. Taking the unnecessary weight of my backpack from me, I lay it on the wooden chair and start checking the drawers from the desk; some office supplies fill the drawers, but the one on the bottom, pencils, sharpeners, white paper, and so it goes.

After closing the drawers, I look at the other side of the room; now, instead of having to lie on the floor on some sheets among a sea of boxes, a dark wooden bed frame holds a comfortable-looking mattress for me, the size not big, not small, enough for one person or two if they snuggle together. Lying on its feet is an old trunk chest with a note on top; it reads, 'The library storage has no spare clothing options, so on tomorrow's travel, we will buy you some.' The handwriting is carefully done and pretty, with an air of various layers of training.

A gentle knock on the wall near the stairs grabs my attention. The standing figure, Loa, with her glowing eyes, looks at me, expecting something, probably to follow her. "Just one second," I run to my backpack and, on the side pocket, grab one of the most important things there is to me: an omamori charm.

I walk back to the bed, stopping in front of the posts of it and wasting a good second in deep thought before, finally, placing the charm the charm on it and seeing it stay there securely. Now this feels more like home.

With all of that out of the way, I finally follow the waiting maid to the lower floor; maybe this is the good luck you wished me, Mother.

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