The hall was oddly silent. The only noise in the hall was the sounds of babies gurgling. If a baby started crying, their mother was quick to quiet them. It was odd to me that none of the mothers were talking amongst themselves. Someone important must be coming to speak at the podium is the only thing I could think of as a reason for the silence.

After what felt like hours but was probably only a half-hour after the last mother was seated, the trumpet played again. This time it sounded like it was announcing royalty. There was movement at the far wall from us. Four heavily armored men in full plate armor surrounded a man in silken robes lined with gold thread. He did not have a crown, but everyone in the room either bowed or lowered their head when he entered.

I was amazed at how well the plate armor fit each of the guards. It was like each piece was made for them and fit like a second skin. There was no clanging of metal that you would expect to hear when someone was wearing full plate armor. There is magic in this world based on what my status sheet said. Maybe they have people who can shape metal and enchant it not to make noise? All of the armor was black and very little could be seen of the guards’ faces. Only their eyes and mouth were left exposed.

The man in expensive silken robes carried himself like everyone around him were lesser beings. It was evident by the expression on his face that he did not want to be here. His robes were a royal blue color and were of a cut you would see on any storybook wizard from my old world. Symbols were embroidered in gold on his robes. Of the symbols that I could make out, there seemed to be eight that occurred throughout the garment: a diamond, teardrop, square, triangle, leaf, star, heart, and a swirl. The needlework looked like it may have taken months to finish by hand.

As the man in robes made it to the podium, I noticed that he had a few wrinkles starting on his face. He still had a full head of red hair cut in the pompadour style that Elvis rocked when he was around in my old world. When he started to speak, he had a deep gravelly voice. When he finished speaking, everyone in the room repeated the last four words.

The first woman with her child was escorted to the stage after the speech. The escort took the child and then began to undress him. The child was then laid on a blanket on the table while the robed man proceeded to inspect every inch of the child’s skin. There did not seem to be any malice in the searching, but he was very thorough, searching even the child’s hair looking for any marks or blemishes.

When the older man was satisfied, something was said to the mother, and then the mother and baby were escorted out of the room. It was going to be a long day for me. We were sitting near the back of the room. I was also not looking forward to being naked in front of so many people.

After about half of the room had been called up and escorted away, the older man found a mark on one of the babies. It was a tiny little green mark shaped like a leaf. The mother burst into tears and appeared to start begging. The older man showed no sympathy as the child was taken away from his mother in a different direction from where everyone else left. The guards ultimately had to escort the crying mother off to the direction of where we came down the stairs. At this point, I was baffled and starting to get worried. I may not have known my new mother for long, but she has been very kind to me. I don’t want to be separated from her.

There was no further excitement as the mothers and children in front of us had their turn. All of the mothers and babies could stay together and exit the hall in the same direction as everyone else. I was worried at one point when I saw one of the babies had a pretty large birthmark on his hand. It was not shaped like anything I could make out, and the older man did not seem interested in such a mark. That baby was let go with the rest.

My mother and I were escorted to the stage next. I was stripped of all of my clothing and inspected from head to toe. How could a man have hands that cold? After he was done, I was dressed and picked up by my mother as we were escorted in the direction of everyone else. It seems I did not have whatever the man in robes was looking for. For once, I was thankful for being ordinary.

As we followed the path the other women and babies traveled before us, we came into a room with almost floor-to-ceiling opaque windows. On both sides of the doorway, the windows had been tinted the colors of the rainbow, starting with red at the top and going all the way to purple at the bottom. It made the room very pretty. All of the windows I have seen so far have been almost impossible to see through and very thick. It is almost like they use sheets of quartz instead of glass to create the windows.

We made our way outside, and I was instantly blinded by the sun. My mother quickly put a blanket over my head to keep me from too much exposure. Of course, that had the added side effect of me not seeing anything that was going on. As she kept walking, I could hear the murmuring of many voices speaking at once. There are many joyous voices in the crowd and giggling babies. I could also hear the deeper voice of men in the group, which piqued my interest. Up until this moment, I have seen very few men.

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As we walk through the crowd, I try my hardest to translate what is said around me. Up until now, I have had very few examples of this language to try to piece it together. The language sounds melodious and almost powerful. If I had to compare it to any language I know, I would say it was Italian, but I know enough Italian to know this is not the same language. It is a very snappy language that rolls off the tongue quite easily. Now all I need to do is figure out what the words mean.

I was suddenly engulfed in an unexpected hug. On one side was my mother and on the other was a strange man. He put his head under the blanket with me and started talking baby talk to me. The only word that I have heard consistently so far is Violet. Maybe that is my new name? It sounds pretty, at the very least. After a little bit of talking at me, the man removes himself from under my blanket. I can feel that he is still hugging my mom as they both walk somewhere. I need to get rid of this blanket!

After some squirming on my part, I saw a little more of my surroundings. Only what is directly in front of us, but I’ll take what I can get. The ground we walk on seems to be paved with cobblestones. They look pretty packed down, and I don’t see any missing or moving. As we made it to a shaded area, I was relieved when my mother pulled the blanket off my head.

What I can see is a line of horses attached to carriages. I assumed they were horses initially because that is what I expected to see, but something is very off about them. As we get closer to them, I can see that the horses are muzzled and don’t have hooves but clawed feet, as you may see on a lion. The more I look at them, the more I see a large cat instead of a horse. Several straps are holding the animal in place.

The carriage that we stop at has yellow banners hanging from it. It looks like my mother’s baggage has already been packed on the back. The only way I can tell is my mom’s bags have yellow embroidery circles and triangles on them. After speaking briefly with the man in the driver’s seat, my parents both get into the carriage. It seems like this will be another hurry-up and wait for activity as we don’t appear to be going anywhere fast.

While we wait for the crowd to disperse, I take the time to inspect the new male figure in my life. I assume he is my father by the way my mother keeps hugging him. He looks to be around the same age as my mother. He is wearing a yellow button-down shirt that looks soft enough to have been made from cotton. There is nothing special about his pants other than they are black with no signs of wear. Maybe we are going to a luau? My parents are wearing matching outfits. I am still wearing an oversized white dress, so perhaps no luau.

One shocking feature about my father is that he has orange hair. The orange hair strangely complements his pale blue eyes. My mother hands me over to him, and it is almost comical how gentle he is trying to be with me. I would not describe him as a bodybuilder, but you can tell he is a very physical person. His muscles are well defined. Looking at the gap in his shirt, he does not have a farmer’s tan like my mother does. I will need to make it one of my top goals to find a mirror. I hope that I don’t have orange hair, but it is too short for me to tell without a mirror right now.

The carriage starts moving after about a half-hour of waiting. My mom and dad have been using the time to catch up with each other. While they are otherwise engaged, I take the opportunity to look at my status to see my changes.

Level

1

Health

30/30

Strength

2

Constitution

3

Dexterity

2

Intelligence

34

Wisdom

23

[Traits] [Skills] [Magic]

I have only gained a little bit, but I am a growing girl, and I will be working those numbers to the max every time I get a chance. Skills must not be easy to gain in this world. I started reciting all of the different languages I have learned, but it seems those don’t count. Other than math, I can’t think of any skills that I can get just in my head. I plan to try sensing mana or finding my zen next time I am left alone for any amount of time. I wonder if meditation is a thing in this world. I still want magic, so my main focus is going to be trying to sense mana. The sound of light conversation and the steady rocking of the carriage has me drifting off to dream of the future.