Kiara didn't get Diana's complaint about the house. While the lizard-drawn abode didn't measure to the size of the room she was in before, it beat quantity with quality in its cozy little space. Through a door on the right, she entered the corner of a sitting room. A brown carpet spread out beneath her, leading to a couch folding out of the wall. Beside it sat a stand of vials, empty on the top but filling as she went down its three shelves. Where the carpet stopped, the kitchen began with a stove and sink hanging on the couch’s side. On the other, a nook was made of the protruding windowsill, surrounding a small round table, caging dishes beneath it. The kitchen broke off where the boys went to rest—panels in the wall they lifted to reveal beds they disappeared into. Two more sat across from them and Diana beckoned. As she followed the boys’ panels opened, and they almost stumbled over each other to the room far back. As Keigo beat Danson to the door, Kiara got a good look inside, glimpsing a small bathroom before it slammed shut. Having no stakes in their race, she headed for a free bunk. The panel locked on the inside, silencing everything from the world beyond it. Before too long she was asleep. She woke up the next day to the smell of food.

The afternoon light shone upon Diana as she slid a piece of meat into place on a sandwich. As Kiara sat down at the table, Diana brought it to her, taking the seat across as she sipped a cold drink.

“The boys woke up and ate before you.” She gestured at the plates in the sink. “Danson is doing something now, so I thought I’d give you some food while we wait.” Kiara’s stomach appreciated the gesture.

She chewed fast as her eyes did everything to avoid staring at the woman. There was little left to see—the house only offered the bare minimum. Still, she found it strange. Her meal was hot, and sure enough, dishes sat in the sink. She didn't know what she thought it'd be, but this house made her curious.

"What is this place?" She finally let her eyes rest.

“A Traveling Cottage,” Diana replied. “When I traveled with the boys before, we spent a lot of time camping outside. When we parted, we agreed that we wouldn’t do that again. I went bounty hunting, and made enough phens to buy this beauty. It helped that I already had a Lizren to pull it.”

The ‘Lizren’ Kiara suspected was the reptilian beast. It was a green leathery thing that stood taller than her on four legs, better suited for a gazelle than any type of lizard. Its body towered statuesque with toned muscle, with a ring of black hair around its long facing connecting to a trail going down its back. Able to look over even Diana’s head, Kiara still found it hard to imagine the creature pulling the cart alone. She had seen it, though, and the idea of seeing it fight the speckled beast flashed through her mind.

“What does it eat?” She thought about what it took to feed the creature. Diana stared into the middle distance, and Kiara wondered if she asked the wrong thing.

"I don't know." The redhead murmured. "I've woken up at night before to find it gone, and then back the next morning. I think it goes out hunting but I have never seen it bring anything back." The haunted look in her eyes made Kiara wonder if the Lizren might eat people. She decided she didn’t want that image in her mind.

“Where did you find something like it?”

"In my homeland to the east. They mostly live in the wild and keep to themselves, but will befriend any person that shows them a kindness. Mine was lost and I helped guide it. After that it stuck with me through the worst of times. I don't know where I'd be without it." Diana said. Kiara wondered what stories they might have seen.

“What’s its name?”

“Arrowhead! When it’s really on the move, it points its nose forward and evens out its body. You might mistake it for an arrow if you saw it from a distance.”

She wondered how fast Arrowhead could go. Looking around the cottage again, she understood why Diana had everything secured. Her eyes settled on the stove. If the beast moved fast despite the load, she couldn't imagine gas was safe. Sure enough, she couldn't see a gas line, but there was no electric outlet either. Her head tilted as she wondered if solar power was at play until her eyes went back to the redhead.

“How does any of this stuff work?”

“Glyph Rods!" Diana walked over and opened the stove. Within its cavity, Kiara could see a rod, etched with unreadable glyphs. It hung with thread looped through one end, glowing dimly as Diana took hold of a knob. A ring traced upon the flat surface atop, and Diana made a motion like she was trying to make a sale. "This rod makes heat! When I touch or twist the knob, the stove comes on. Depending on the level I twist it too, it gets hotter."

Kiara’s eyes went to the sink. “So that works the same way?”

“Two rods in the sink. One makes water and the other makes it hot. There are similar rods for the shower. Excess water is stored in a basin under the cottage. They encourage you to use natural cleaners, so I assume the basin could be connected to a garden expansion, if I wanted one.” Kiara was reminded of Shin as the woman went on, completely enraptured by the arcane workings.

Before she could ask anything more, there came a knock on the walls and a whistle from Keigo. The girls emerged to find Danson standing in front of an intricate silver web, spun between two trees. He touched a feather to the highest line, leaving everyone stunned as the trees folded into an arch.

“Shall we go?” The elf turned to them. Keigo shrugged to Diana, and she whistled, bringing the Lizren trotting after them.

A village sat on the other side of the arch, unseen until they crossed the threshold. Even if Kiara could somehow miss buildings that looked like decorative eggs, she could not have missed the people floating around. They were a slim, dark-skinned lot with heads full of mane-like feathers. They were dressed in long flowing clothes that billowed like flags as they swam through the air. Their presence influenced the world in a way that she couldn’t quite place, but she felt it against her skin, weaving new ideas in her mind. She wondered if the people knew what she was feeling as well. As she passed them by, she swore their swimming stopped, as they watched her with hawk-eyes. They were still in motion when she turned to look, but she felt their eyes nevertheless—intrigued, and anticipating.

“What type of people are they?” She asked the question automatically and then covered her mouth. She meant no offense, but the words felt alien on her tongue.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Danson shrugged. “It depends on who you ask. Djinn, Sprites, Nymphs, different cultures call them different names. Even we of the Elven Kingdoms have a name for them, Vaed. I think humans generally call them Elementals.”

“Sylphs to be precise!” Diana said. “Wind Elementals.” Her eyes twinkled and Kiara felt the words. These were people of the wind, and it was through the wind that she could know them. She felt a connection there—a trade of information—they weren’t merely watching, but teaching in a way she almost missed.

The lesson was over when their party stopped at a lone egg. Danson pressed the feather to the shell, opening a hole. They proceeded inward up a short flight of stairs, finding themselves in an ovular room with books lining the wall. There was a moat of still water separating the shelves from the center, where a large bowl chair sat beside a small table, with a tea set upon it.

"So how does this work exactly?" Keigo crossed his arms as he investigated the moat. He touched his foot to it and watched his toe sink. "And how does this work exactly?” He pointed at it, Danson smiled.

“To summon a specific elemental, it’s simple. You just speak their name to a place rich in their power." He explained and cleared his throat. "Leyu Nmwale, we seek your attention.” He spoke to the room. It responded with the air rushing around them, pulling them to the center.

It moved violently until a twister centralized on the chair, and colors began to fill it. Kiara watched dark green, black, yellow, and mahogany spin together, and when the wind stopped a person was in it. The mahogany was in his dark skin, and the black was in his feather hair. The yellow was in his eyes, and the dark green, his robe. Another boy around her age, sat with his legs crossed and waved at the tea set before picking up the pot and pouring a generous cup. He sipped from this without so much as a word, and after a moment of savoring the flavor, he considered the group.

“Hello,” He greeted them and Danson chuckled.

“All the theatrics for people you were expecting to visit you?” The elf sighed, and the sylph tilted his head.

"I can assure there were no theatrics. Such is the only way for a sylph to move from one location to another." The sylph counted their heads. "I am Leyu Nmwale.” He introduced himself, and the others nodded.

“We all know you, Leyu.” Diana said, and the sylph pointed at Kiara. “Fair enough.”

“We’ll try not to waste your time. The three of us are planning to go to the Sea Festival. We were hoping you could lend us some aid in getting ready." Danson said, and the sylph stroked his chin.

“I can tell, Danson, that you have already begun to improve your magic. I imagine you hope for some way to further assist you?” Leyu replied, and the elf nodded. “What of you Keigo, and you Diana?”

“Well, magic really wasn’t the focus of my training back in the day.” Keigo said.

“And I only learned how to use magic four years ago.” Diana said. The sylph nodded.

“Then you two are looking for something that would make you better mages, perhaps something that could fill the void in your education.”

Once more, Kiara was reminded of Shin. Leyu didn’t quite show it in the same way—he was far too demure, far too understated—but she could see the spark of ideas in his eyes. He already knew what they needed, he just needed time to acquire it. This boy was the end of one leg of their journey, already showing them the value of their trip. How much stronger would they become with his guidance? She looked from them back to him and found hawk-eyes meeting hers.

“What can you tell us about Kiara here, Leyu?” Danson asked.

“She is from another world.” The sylph said without hesitation. Kiara’s mouth dropped.

"How did you know?" She covered it, and Leyu sipped his tea.

“Your aura tells an interesting tale.” He said at last. As she cocked an eyebrow, he continued. “Within all living things life energy stirs. The Aura is the radiance of that, permeating outward from the core of our being. The shape of the Aura is decided by the world our life knows.”

“So, my aura is different from theirs in some way?”

“Yes. While their aura rises like steam from them, yours emanates like a fixture aglow. Could you tell me about your world?”

With a nod, Kiara attempted, trying to recount the limited knowledge she knew. She described the sprawling metropolises and the digital interaction. She described vehicles both land and air, and the speeds at which they could move. She described the entertainment and all the ways it could be brought to you. As she went on she molded the world in their heads obliviously giving it shape as they hung on her words

"So that would be the mythical Nandaxia…" The sylph broke the silence first and looked at her. "I take it Kiara, that you know nothing of magic then?"

“I only ever guessed I was using magic in the first place. I also didn’t really try to use it either…” She shook her head to his question and her past hesitations.

“Did you channel it in some specific way?” She grasped her pendant instinctively, and he held out his hand. “May I see it?” Hesitation stayed hers. She searched his eyes and saw nothing alarming. She searched her heart for the source of the pause. There were memories there, of course, of her holding on to the pendant like it was the only thing keeping her afloat. But, Leyu didn’t want her to sink. How could he even know the lake of fear she tried so desperately to avoid? She took a breath and remembered Doltess’s words. Don’t hesitate. She handed the pendant over.

He held it aloft with a twist of air, spinning it, turning it, checking the jewel and the gold encasing it. In his other hand, two marble-like spheres appeared. One golden, the other brown, they circled the pendant and suddenly disappeared. The sylph's eyes went wide as he returned it to her.

“This necklace acts so thoroughly as a conduit for your magic, that even when it’s away from you, the connection remains.” He said. Danson grunted.

"But if she uses it to cast her magic, rather than sending her magic through it… doesn't that mean it became an anchor?” He raised his hand and Leyu nodded.

“What does that mean exactly?” Kiara asked. Keigo and Diana seemed just as intrigued.

“It means you don’t need your pendant to cast spells, you have greater magic acuity than you are aware. Magical anchors are instruments used to restrain power, used to stop you from drawing too much.” He took her in with his eyes, and Kiara saw uncertainty. His mind hunted a question, but he didn’t know if it was the one he wanted.

“What gems did you just give her?” Diana asked. Kiara’s attention darted to her, and then to the pendant.

“Gems?”

“Installation Gems.” Leyu replied. “They are a means with which people learn to use magic—a congealed form of power already present in this world. While some beings can learn magic without assistance, others require things like Gems or Spell books. The magic of those were Battle Effigy and Pain Deafen. They are quintessential gems to anyone who finds themselves in battle.”

“They’re the passive kind.” Keigo said. “You can’t force them to work, but they get the job done. Pain Deafen does what you might expect, it makes wounds less agonizing. Battle Effigy rewinds the body to the moment before severe damage. It can save your life, if it doesn't get overloaded.”

“It remains worth noting, that you will still require medical attention in severe cases.” As Leyu said this, Kiara saw a far-off look in his eyes. She wondered who it was that made the mistake. “Kiara, how did you come to our world from one without magic?” The subject change was jarring. She shook her head.

“I think I got sent here by someone named Doltess.” She answered, and she felt the pause that filled the room.

The faces around her went blank with shock. She felt like she said a forbidden word, wondering who Doltess was to the people of this world. Leyu’s mental fugue broke first. The air around him seemed heavy—sinister—speaking to her in that wordless Sylph way. How did this feeling translate? Hesitation? Fear? A dour acceptance? Once again, she wondered about Doltess, and the stories attached to his name. She wondered about Leyu too, and how close to those stories he was.

“I think there is a person that the four of you should see.” He spoke carefully, and her companions looked at each other.

Before they could ask who, he snapped his finger, and the room began to whirl. One moment the titles of tomes were blurring around them, and the next they were sprawled out in the dark courtyard of a ruined palace. There was much to take in, but as a dark shadow fell upon them, time stood still...