Aria was from the quiet village of East Tide. She was a loner, living in the woods with nothing but a pet cat named Sulphur. She spent her days dreaming away and scribbling away with talismans and transmutation circles. It was one day, when she went to the village to resupply with Sulphur resting in her backpack, that she met a stranger.
In the plaza of the village, between stalls of fresh fruits and stands of accessories, she saw an unusual figure. They were a silver haired man, an older gentleman who wore a suit and tie — aristocratic clothing that clashed with the simple townsfolk. He strolled through the stalls, picking out pieces of mana crystals of all sorts of elements. From wind, fire and ice, he took his time, trading bronze coins for the crystals he set in a sack.
Aria couldn’t help but grow curious, following behind the stranger from a distance, watching as he finished up his purchases. To her surprise, the old man didn’t leave through the way he came from. Rather, he took a turn towards the forest.
Through the mystical woods surrounding East Tide, she crept under vines, past jewel-scaled lizards and sleeper snakes. Aria watched as the old man touched a tree, revealing a rune that was hidden on the bark, one that lit up a trail of footsteps he followed.
The trail led to a fallen log, past a rushing river and towards a set of ruins she had no idea existed in the forest. There, the old man stopped and rested his hand on a lone carved stone that rested in the center of the crumbled fort.
His hand traced a shape, then a rune appeared. Light came out of the stone and the ground beneath him shifted, opening up a secret entrance.
Aria hid behind a tree and stared. Awe filled her eyes and before the entrance closed behind him, she snuck her way inside.
She found herself in a dark area lit with wall torches that glowed blue. Flames lit the hallway and the further she went, the more she realized what she got herself into. She was nothing but a child exploring a dark dungeon, trailing behind an old stranger who had no idea she was following him.
She saw the old runes carved into the walls, felt the magic pouring in from all around as if the dungeon itself was taking in air and breathing out mana. Lichen grew on the walls, glowing a gentle blue, all while strange wisps flew through the air. Those wisps surrounded her, peering at her with pairs of white eyes all too curiously.
Stolen novel; please report.
Those wisps guided her down the path, speeding on ahead. When she turned a corner, she saw that old man sitting down by a table. There, with a lantern and a pen, he used magic to infuse the fountain pen with life, allowing it to write for him, all while he muttered to himself.
“I’ve got enough water crystals now, so the plumbing for this place should be up and running soon enough,” he muttered. “Also, I’ve got enough air crystals, so ventilation should be no problem. The fire crystals, though — I’ll need more if I want to expand and fuel everything.”
Expand? She stood by the corner and eavesdropped, all while the pen scribbled away.
“I suppose I ought to start with the irrigation system now, shouldn’t I Pen Pen?” he asked, and his pen bobbed up and down, as if it was a sentient creature.
He let out a huff and stood up, carrying with him a piece of white chalk. She watched as he took a water crystal and drew a transmutation circle on the wall. That circle glowed, turning the stone of the walls into metal pipes, a tank and a tap. He put the crystal into the tank, drew on a circle and pushed the center.
The mana crystal reacted to the circle and part of it was transmuted into gushing water that filled up the tank. Opening the tap, water began to flow.
He continued drawing circles, transmuting pipes that became the veins that allowed water to flow freely through the entire compound. Aria ran and hid when he drew close, and when the pipes were complete, he moved onto the next part.
“Alright. Time for the mana veins,” he said to Pen Pen who bobbed by his side, floating like the wisps that lived in the dungeon.
He took a fire crystal and used the crystal’s dust itself as a form of chalk to draw on the walls. He drew lines that acted like cables, allowing mana to flow freely throughout the entire structure. He hooked the mana up to the torches which could be remotely activated by a mana switch.
The old man was like an architect. Aria watched with awe, staring at the ruins that became a more lively, livable dungeon. The old man let out a yawn, then turned to Pen Pen with a smile.
“Well, that’s done. It’s time for a break, don’t you think?”
With that, he pulled out a bottle of milk. It was all over from there. Sulphur leapt out of Aria’s bag and ran up to the old man, pawing at his legs for a drink.
“A cat?” he said to himself, and he looked over to meet eyes with Aria.