Chapter 1: Where Am I?

The sky is painted blue and white. The birds are surely cheerful today. The surroundings are pretty lovely as the flowers are busy swaying with the wind. I sigh. Nature is pure. It never knows what will take place here today. Spring has come. They say it’s the new beginning, but, I don’t know anymore. I don’t know if it’s really the beginning or the end for this village.

I stood up as I looked back how I did end up here. How many weeks had passed? I still don’t know why I am here and how it happened. I once again looked up in the sky and think about that unfortunate day.

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“Mother! Hurry! They are here! We must hurry! The villagers are already here!”

I tried to help my mother run as fast as we could. The villagers are chasing us. I’m still wondering why they are doing it but, one thing’s for sure. They mean harm. I wanted to face and stop them but, what can a 13-year old child do with a bunch of armed villagers chasing them? They are furious. They are calling my Mom a murderer. How can that be? My mom is weak. She has been suffering from an incurable illness no one knows about. How can she do that?

They are already behind us! What should I do? We’ve been running for how many hours? One? Two? I lost count of it. But, it seems like they’re not getting tired of chasing us. We’ve got to do something or Mom will not last long.

“Mom. Please run away. I have to distract them for you to get away from this! They are after you! Maybe, they won’t harm me if I was caught!” I desperately told my Mom. I won’t let them have my Mom. She did not do anything. She’s innocent!

I pushed my Mom to encourage her to continue running away. Then, I closed my eyes and turned away. I can’t stand seeing my Mom crying. I won’t let them hurt her! She’s the only one I have. I have to save her.

My eyes grew larger, my heart beat faster than usual and sweat begun to come out. The villagers who are chasing us are being chased and eaten by unknown monsters! They are fast. Four! No! There are only two villagers left!

It’s already dark. I can’t clearly see what kind of monsters can do that gruesome thing. I stepped back! No! If they see us, they would eat us as well. I quickly look back to check on my Mom. She, as well, was astounded!

My eyes grew even larger, but this time, I run hurriedly. What the hell is happening? Just a moment ago monsters are all over the place, now, another problem occurred!

A huge whirlwind is behind my Mom! I should save her! But, even before I reach her, I felt another whirlwind behind me. I tried to reach my Mom’s hand as I feel my body being taken away by the whirlwind.

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That was the last thing I remembered before I regain my consciousness and found myself in this little village.

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 I can still remember how surprised I was when I found out where I was.

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My body aches, my head feels heavy and I can hear the voices near me. I open my eyes and came face to face with the scariest face I had ever seen.

“AhhHHHHH” I yelled and bumped my head with his. He then run towards outside the room shouting, telling anyone outside that I’m already awake.

I took that time to look around me and saw someone looking at me with her eyebrows arched up. I looked at her from head to toe and unconsciously swallowed my saliva when I found a sword on her hips.

“Where are you looking at?” she said still looking at me intently. I once again looked at her in the eyes then, scanned her once more. Her hair long and blonde, she is wearing a black mid-thigh dress and a knee-high black boots, and a cape. A cape? Who still wear a cape? Well, technically, she wears one. But, why? She might be wondering what am I thinking when she noticed how my eyebrows furrowed but she didn’t talk. I checked her expression and noticed how angelic her face was despite having that doubtful expression.

I was busy admiring her face when she faked her cough that made me dig into reality. This woman is in her 20’s! while I’m 13! Thirteen? That’s when I noticed something unusual in my body. It’s as if I grew taller and my muscles grew bigger than before. I looked around me and saw a mirror. I got up and immediately checked what’s wrong with me!

“AhhHHHHHHH” I screamed! What’s wrong with my body! I really grew taller and my body grew bigger! What happened? Seriously? The woman in this room might be curious as to why I screamed.

“Hey! What’s the problem? Why did you scream like a mad man there?” she said.

“Where am I? Why am I like this? Why is my body like this? How can my body changed like this over time? ----- Wait, how many days am I asleep?”

I am really confused right now. I don’t know what to feel. My eyes were wide opened when I am asking hear these question. Who wouldn’t?

“Did something hit your head before you passed out? When the healer examined you, he said that there’s nothing wrong with your body.” The woman raised her eyebrow, but confusion is written all over her face.

“How many days am I asleep?” I asked once again in case she forgot that I asked that.

“You’ve been asleep for about three days.” My jaw dropped as I process the information in my brain.

How come that my body changed within three days only? I can’t think of a possible answer. How come?

“How old do you think I am?” Her eyebrows furrowed at my question. She might think that I am crazy.

“Of course! You’re maybe in your 20’s! Hold on, let me check.” I was stunned by what she did. She snapped her fingers and it lit up like a candle.

“--------Aeon.” She murmured something but I was only able to hear the last word. She placed her palm on my forehead and said “twenty-one”.

“You are twenty-one years old. Happy? You may be checking my magic. There you go, I know I’m right. My age-magic doesn’t get wrong answer.”

“Hold on. What did you just say? M-magic? Did you just used magic?” My hand trembles as I am asking her those questions. I never heard and saw anyone performed any magic like that.

“Where am I again? Did you find me years before and I just had an amnesia? I’m just 13. How come I become 21 in just 3 days? And how did you do that magic?” I asked after minutes of being dumbfounded.

“Did you really hit your head? We found you THREE days ago. Not YEARS ago. We didn’t even know your name. For the record, your age, based on what I looked through you is 21! Age-magic is one of the basic magic here in Celestial Paradiso! No one, as in no one would incorrectly tell anyone’s age when you used that.”

She exclaimed while maybe thinking I am gone crazy. As I processed every words she said, I remember my mother!

“My mother. Did you see my mother?” I hold her shoulder and shake her up. She needs to answer fast.

“Mother? You’re alone in the forest when we found you.” With that, I already lose hope.