Thomas felt a strange emotion as he took his first steps toward his lifelong dreams. But it wasn't a happy start. All he could think about was missing home and wanting to hug his mom or have a drink at Mr. Hanks' place. He just wanted to wake up from this bad dream. But there was no turning back. Sylvanbrook was now just a memory.

His thoughts were interrupted when he realized he was in a part of the dark forest he'd never been to. No time for daydreaming. He raised his sword a bit to make sure no one from Grimmclaw's gang was around.

He was walking in weird shapes to avoid being tracked. But now, since he was in an unfamiliar part of the forest, it would be great to use a tracking spell. When he made the hand gesture, though, nothing happened. He was shocked. Trying again didn't help. Suddenly, he heard footsteps. Panicking, he climbed into a tree, hoping no one would see him among the bare branches. It was unpleasant that everything happened during autumn.

Without needing much time, some bandits became visible. They didn't look crowded or strong. There were only two guys and were talking to each other. So Thomas decided to eavesdrop.

- I don't understand why in the first place we are hiding in such a location where there aren't any merchants. I mean, the only place where people lived has gone.

- Your head never gets stuff anyway, Master Grimmclaw wants us to hide from eyes here. This not might be a trade route, yes, but it doesn't take much to go to the nearest one. Also, we are quite close to the Montagnian border.

- Eh, what are you talking about? Their army destroyed every bit of Telluria in the last war. You don't think about going there, do you?

- Firstly, the decision isn't mine, I follow orders. Secondly, famine didn't only affect Telluria you know. They are a rich nation, yes, but that doesn't mean they are immune to hunger.

Thomas wondered if Grimmclaw's plans went beyond Sylvanbrook. Was their goal to mess up the whole continent? Were they just bad for the sake of it? These questions ran through his mind as he prayed not to be noticed. Luckily, the bandits left, complaining about hunger and boredom.

Thomas waited a bit more, troubled that his spell didn't work. Waiting until it got darker seemed wise. There wasn't much time left until dusk anyway. As the sun went down, he climbed down and walked silently. The bandits' talk hinted that Grimmclaw's base was close, and Thomas, without spells, needed to be extra careful.

Besides, he started to get cold as the sun wasn't heating him anymore. He was angry at himself after freezing. "How the hell did I not think about this? We are in autumn, and I waited until the sun was gone." He suddenly remembered the phrase in the book. He quickly opened it and read it repeatedly: "You can cast any spell as long as you can create a connection with it and nature." He was hoping to make a spell that would warm him, but it would be great to try the detection spell again before trying something new, though.

Thomas gave all of his attention to the essence of the earth itself. He touched the ground, feeling the soil beneath his fingertips. Nothing happened. Why was that happening? The detection spell was about the feeling of the earth. It always worked. It was the first spell he achieved, as he grew literally inside the soil. He was a farmer, born to a degree. He went through the pages and read a lot, but there was nothing worthy of solving his problem. He knew he was playing with fire now, but he had no choice other than making a fire at this point. Because he was starting to freeze.

He quickly made a fire and started to pray not to be seen by Grimmclaw's men. He was planning to leave after getting himself warmed up a bit. As the warmth hugged him, he slowly sat down. He was walking for a long time, and he didn't know where he was. He just knew that he had to keep going. So, he started to plan his next step. Firstly, he was planning to head further south, the opposite side of where bandits came from; then he could easily go towards the west and would be out of the forest before noon.

Thinking all that in front of a cozy fire. He slowly dropped into the arms of an old friend called Sleep. Before waking up in shock and hearing whispers and footsteps. He heard a very familiar voice, "Another prey!" Thomas knew to whom this voice belonged very well, "Grimmclaw!" He thought with anger. He begged God to make his spell work this time and grasped a small pile of dirt from the ground. And he made the gesture. He quickly felt that familiar feeling. He was feeling where everyone was. There were five people, and they were coming directly at him. "They probably saw the smoke!" He thought before grabbing his sword and book. He then closed his eyes and jumped into the nearest tree, climbing it.

He wasn't planning to watch them. So he started to jump between trees in the western direction, as he didn't need distractions now. He just wanted to arrive in the town. So he exactly did that. After moving for quite a long time, he thought it was enough. So, he slowly got down from the tree and stepped on the ground. He was grateful for being able to cast his spell this time. "I wonder why it didn't work previously." He said in exhaustion. The night was about to end. So, he decided to keep going without taking a break. He was now near the road, so he could see the cobblestone path.

He started to walk towards the Town. As the day got brighter, the trees also became less dense. He was curious about the famous town of Aridoheim. Well, it wasn't famous. It was just a barren border town without any importance. However, it was the nearest settlement to Slyvanbrook. Thomas could hear his heartbeats getting faster as the forest slowly disappeared, and he could see some towers. Those were basic watchtowers that were used for watching the border. They were also used to check peasants. However, since nobody had ever left Slyvanbrook, they were empty, and they were started to be hugged by wines and moss. Thomas was excited as he probably was the first person who had seen these towers from his village. Well, if you don't count Mr. Hanks.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Telluria's administration was simple. "Peasants" at the bottom of the hierarchy were living in their Villages. Villages were tied to Towns, and they were small hubs to collect productions on villages. Mostly poor merchants and free but poor people used to live there. Villagers were allowed to move freely within the borders of their Towns. However, leaving the borders of their towns were prohibited. So, they were coming to the town for shopping.

Towns were tied to their provinces. Those cities usually hosted middle-class and sometimes rich people. Telluria had three provinces. Their capital was Forzta, their marine city was Portofeine, and where Thomas was Liano.

Their capital was Forzta, their marine city was Portofeine, and where Thomas was Liano [https://img.wattpad.com/cbb28b51b04e2994f56cfb999360bc3807db7027/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f6d33546d7647414d4945793935673d3d2d313339363835343938312e313739643961633662666461393561663731363733303737393433332e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]

Thomas was relaxed on his journey to the town since he was allowed to be there. He kept moving as the day was born, and the sun smiled at him as if nothing bad had happened in the past days. Thomas didn't know how many days had passed, what had happened, and where he was anymore. He walked with amazement as he saw the first houses. These were different from the ones in Slyvanbrook. Well, they were still in bad condition because they belonged to poor people. However, all of them had tiles and looked much more durable.

There was a glass-walled house-like place where clothes were visible. It also had a sign hanging from the side, saying "Aridoheim Clothing Shop." He lit up. "So that's what a shop looks like!" He looked at the clothes in jealousy and amazement. Those were pretty bad clothes, considering town folk were also not very rich. But in Thomas' case, He was mostly wearing burnt and torn-up sacks, so he was pretty much bare.

Despite its shine on Thomas' eyes, the store seemed empty, as well as the streets. Famine seemed to have affected the poor people of this land as well. Thomas started to walk in the streets mindlessly. He had to find someone in authority. The streets of Aridoheim were not eye-catching for someone who would have traveled across the continent. Because it was pretty basic and poor-looking. They had classical Tellurian architecture. And most of the streets were made from cobblestone. However, they had no sidewalks, unlike in big cities and more popular and important towns. In cities, cobblestone paths were for horses. While sidewalks for... well, people. But Thomas, who had never seen any of them, was considering himself in the greatest architectural complex.

He kept walking on the streets until he heard thunder and turned his gaze up to the sky. The weather was starting to get gray, and it surely looked like it was going to rain. So he probably would need a shelter. The town wasn't very big, so he was already done with touring it. He wasn't able to spot anyone who looked in charge, tho. The few people he saw were busy with their daily routines, appearing thin. It struck him as odd, considering it hadn't been long since the famine began. They probably weren't well-fed even before the famine, Thomas thought, feeling a sense of disappointment.

Looking around, he spotted a small store across the street with a small bread-shaped drawing on its sign. Likely a bakery, he presumed and attempted to enter. To his dismay, the door was locked, and the place seemed empty. "Of course," he thought. Finding food wasn't likely. Disappointed and hoping for shelter and food, he was about to turn back to explore other parts of the town when he heard a voice from inside. "Wait there, boy!" The voice belonged to an old lady, likely the store's owner, who was running toward the door. With a welcoming smile, she opened it. "A new face! I see," she said and invited Thomas inside.

Inside the store seemed cozy. It was a small bakery where there was a very small stone oven. However, it seemed cold without fires inside. The walls were made of stone and they all looked clean and smooth. Four small tables, each with four chairs and red tablecloths, were neatly arranged. Also, there was a small counter right next to the entrance. The front side of the store had big windows which were taking all the sunlight inside. There was a door and a stair that led to the upper floor in the back. The sides had small windows which had flowers on other sides. In the losses of the store, everything seemed magical to Thomas.

Thomas wished he could have seen the store in its better days as he stepped in and looked around [https://img.wattpad.com/480b0e414f8854c8321c38f8041e27e9c65e3eda/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f795864735053726c355562302d513d3d2d313339363835343938312e313739633264663337653337356166313635363133343330373633352e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]

Thomas wished he could have seen the store in its better days as he stepped in and looked around. The old lady was a kind woman with a warm smile. She wore something like a whimple, probably to keep her hair from falling into the food she was preparing. She motioned for Thomas to wait and went to the oven. Pouring water into what looked like a brass teapot, she placed it on a small, circular stone plate. To Thomas's amazement, it quickly started boiling. This everyday magic was something he had always heard about but was now experiencing so close to Sylvanbrook. Thomas couldn't help but wish he had left his village earlier, yet destiny had brought him here today.

The old lady poured the warm water into a cup that looked polished, a material Thomas had never seen before, and added some herbs. Thomas was surprised by how everything, from the buildings to the cups, differed so much in a place so near yet so far from his former home. As she approached him, the old lady said, "Sorry for not being able to bring you tea, son. The famine only allows for these dried herbs. We call it sting weed. When it's fresh, it stings our hands hehe, but it makes a good tea alternative. Please drink it." Unsure about what tea was, Thomas tried not to show it and took a small sip from the warm drink. It had a unique and pleasant woody aroma, making him feel warmer with every sip, putting a huge smile on his face.

Sitting beside Thomas, the old lady asked, "Well, now it's your turn to talk. Which village are you from? And why are you dressed like that?"

Then Thomas started to talk about everything that happened to him...