ã€ŠA Garnish of Holly ~Ragazza Seme Magica~ã€‹


 Prologue

    Rhythm ¨C procedure marked by the regular recurrence of particular elements, phases, etc.:

    (music) the pattern of regular or irregular pulses caused in music by the occurrence of strong and weak melodic and harmonic beats.

    (Art, Literature) a patterned repetition of a motif, formal element, etc., at regular or irregular intervals in the same or a modified form.

    (Physiology) the regular recurrence of an action or function, such as of the beat of the heart.

    The standard mundane application of this innocuous word invokes a certain image in those that hear it. A catchy tune or beat; perhaps a particular work of an artist or writer; or even of science.

    Though one might find by taking a hop just one reality over this word became associated with a radical, world shaping concept, adding a new definition to its stack:

    (force) the life energy which all things possess.

    In a world where this miraculous energy could be possessed, channeled, or otherwise altered, one would find even what should have been identical to Earth would become a beast of its own making.

    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    Resonators ¨C those bearing animalistic traits like tails, ears, and wings, but are otherwise human in form. Their magic is leashed by another, powerless on their own, they have great potential yet to be unlocked.

    Maestros ¨C outwardly normal humans, they possess the ability to pass on their Rhythm to Resonators whom they command. For a majority of Resonators, their Maestros command is law, there is no disobedience.

    Naturals ¨C beastly bipeds covered in fur, scales, or feathers; their dwindling populations are the masters of their own magic and answer to no other.

    Of all the wondrous shapes and forms these melopomorphs take, none are more fascinating than the demure zalavan.

    Those who take the sun¡¯s blessed rays as foodstuffs.

    Those who laurel grass as their crown.

    Those who draw magic from the plants of Riterra ¨C regardless of the orders of another.

    These are Resonators of a different breed. Humble in manner and stature, these modest people live their lives in secrecy ¨C hidden from the marvels of the modern world.

    Few leave the safety of their gardens, but to the sprinkling of zalavan that grace Riterra proper the world that awaits them is anything but kind.

 Chapter 1

    Dull reds opened to the light of day. ¡°Good morning, Holly,¡± she said to herself. ¡°Good morning as always¡­¡± a tinge of apathy stoked her voice as she sat up. She never allowed her back to straighten, unable to find the motivation to avoid slumping.

    Another picturesque morning in the only world she had ever known. Slowly the girl¡¯s arm rose, running a hand through the thin grass that adorned her head. Her fingertips brushed against the berries and sharp leaves that sprouted in her hair. A pair for her, on either side of her skull, easily mistaken for hair ornaments in another species. For her they were a biological indicator of her sleep ¨C counting four red berries told her she had gotten a full eight hours of sleep.

    Her arm fell to her side as she processed the horrors of the waking world. Her room was neat, tidy, and organized. Bookshelves bore tomes of knowledge long squeezed dry. The wardrobe meant for one hung at the ready in a small closet. A bag filled to the brim with supplies hung off a hook embedded into the door. The berry-blessed child studied the bag as if it would speak to her.

    KNOCK KNOCK

    Instead, the presence on the other side spoke. ¡°Good morning my little berry tree!¡± a cheery voice greeted from the other side.

    ¡°Good morning, Mom!¡± The prior apathy was absent in Holly¡¯s cheerful call. Despite the inflection of her voice, her face remained dull.

    How much longer would she put up with this?

    Even she didn¡¯t know.

    Inaction was the enemy, so despite wanting to curl back up and sleep another eight hours, she motivated herself. She had to know more. This was how she cheated her apathy. Learning something, anything improved her mood. It was a facet of herself she had come to terms with years ago. To that end, she rose, got dressed, and moved to the door. Before she left the confines of her bedroom she patted herself down, confirming one item was on her person ¨C a small bundle hidden in an inner pocket of her pink and white jacket. With that confirmation, she felt confident in leaving her room.

    Her house was fairly plain, decorated with the typical furniture one would find in any home ¨C couches, shelves with personal effects, a dining room table with chairs; though only Holly used the latter.

    She sat alone with a tall glass of water and a modest bowl of beet chips. It was a quiet, small breakfast, which would be broken up by her mother preparing to leave.

    ¡°Oh Holly,¡± her mother called.

    ¡°Yeah, Mom?¡± Holly instantly flashed a bright smile at her parent.

    The elder of the house glanced at Holly¡¯s breakfast. ¡°Are you going to get some sun today?¡± she asked, more of concern rather than authority.

    ¡°Of course, Mom!¡± lied Holly with an innocent grin on her face.

    The fib was easily accepted, earning her a head pat. ¡°Good girl, I¡¯ll see you tonight.¡±

    ¡°Bye Mom!¡± waved Holly as she was left alone.

    As soon as the front door shut, her expression fell. ¡°Tch, as if.¡±

    <hr>

    After polishing off breakfast, Holly moved to the door. Best to hit the streets before it got too crowded. She held her white skirt down as she seated herself to put her shoes on. Slipping into her tall pink boots, she adjusted the bows that rested at the white tops. Satisfied that she was dressed to impress and with a spring in her step, she began her day in earnest.

    Inverna was a massive city. Though Holly had no scale for how massive it truly was. After all, she had never left the cradle of her birth. For all she knew, it was the smallest city on Riterra. She wasn¡¯t alone in her ignorance; it was the same for the rest of the population. The sun filtered from above and was reflected from the many iridescent crystals adorning the walls that surrounded the city. It was the perfect little greenhouse formed for the perfect little society.

    It was only at noon that the population got to bask in the unfiltered majesty of the life-giving sun. It was the only time the peace cracked. Many of the citizens jostled and fought to bathe in the rays of the delicious sky flames.

    ¡°Cheapskates,¡± mumbled Holly as she considered the midday ritual that defined the town¡¯s very heartbeat. A ritual she wanted to avoid before it started.

    Perhaps her sophisticated palate informed her distaste for standing around and getting her nutrients from the sun. Or maybe she just didn''t like getting crushed in the crowds. All she knew was that the traditional food she preferred was pricey, but all good things in life were. Subsisting solely on sunlight and water wasn¡¯t a way to live, at least in her mind.

    Either way, she didn¡¯t want to be on the streets during the noon-time rush. She had another destination in mind, it was quite the trek, however.

    Her daily expedition always gave her plenty of time for her eyes and mind to wander. The central plaza saw many others walking by, crossing town to get to their own destinations, like herself. The centerpiece of the entire city was a large shining silver statue of a tree bearing red gems shaped like a round fruit with a dimple at the top where a metal stem poked out to attach it to the statue.

    She allowed herself a moment to take in the majesty of the art installation. It always caught her eye whenever she really studied it. For ones who carried nature atop their heads, it always seemed strange for them to have this statue as the town¡¯s centerpiece. Why not a real tree? No amount of scrutiny addressed her quandary. As such, she carried on.

    Moving away from the city center, she marched on toward the opposite end of town. Living in such a confined space like Inverna it was only natural that many recognized her and vice versa. Holly gave smiles and waves as she passed by many adorned with grassy hair like herself.

    In fact, that was all she encountered. The only difference was in what joined the grass ¨C fruit, flowers, or in some rare cases, both. Even so, she stole peeks at the vegetation topping the various people she passed. She could always count on the market district to provide an interesting sight or two. Today''s intrigue was provided by a fruit bearer with long red peppers who argued with a flower-crowned individual behind a stall. The flower bearer wore bright pink blossoms on their head, a plant Holly recognized as a lotus.

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°You''re the one being unreasonable! This is a rare import!¡± shouted the lotus-bearer.

    ¡°You can''t even prove that! Unless you''re admitting to leaving Inverna,¡± countered the pepper plant.

    The accusation earned a gasp of indignation from the lotus man. ¡°Are you even listening to yourself? Even if I survived leaving the city, I would never be allowed back in!¡± the lotus asserted.

    Holly knew well of the magics the two who argued possessed; her sixth sense, her rhythm told all. The pepper radiated a warmth feared in her people ¨C that of fire. While the lotus shopkeeper exuded the soothing humidity that brought ease ¨C water. Regardless of the elements contained within their plants, the two who bickered represented the natural rivalry of fire versus water.

    Even so, the seeds of their adorning plants were useful. Holly allowed herself to touch the breast of her jacket; hidden within rested a satchel of seeds. Carrying her pride ¨C her personal collection ¨C brought calm to her often-turbulent heart if for nothing else but the protection they offered. That being said, despite her repertoire of seeds she possessed, few bore the element of fire.

    She stepped away from the escalating argument before a crowd could form and trap her in. She had more important things to be doing than get mixed up in troubles so mundane.

    Ding ding ding

    A bell chimed as Holly opened the door to the small library on the edge of the city. ¡°Hello!¡± she called.

    ¡°Oh, is that little Holly I hear?¡± an older voice spoke from the back.

    ¡°Yes! I¡¯m back to read more!¡± Holly sang as she skipped deeper into the forest of books.

    As soon as she was out of sight, she allowed her shoulders to catch slack, quietly releasing a held breath as the cheerful fa?ade fell from her face.

    Her eyes danced between the shelves, taking in all the titles displayed before her. Books imported from far-off lands were the mainstays of the library. It was the only reason Holly had realized how boring her home was.

    Tales of heroes, evil, triumph, passion, and love teased her imagination. She could have been born free, to traverse the wide world in search of companionship.

    ¡°The Fire Wielder¡¯s Myth¡± was the book she plucked from the shelves today. It was a neglected tome, one which her people tended to shy away from given their aversion to the element of fire.

    Not Holly though, she found the story inspiring, one of a young human girl named Clarisse who left the safety of home to venture forth and find her partner at the behest of the Sage of Victory, Kitori.

    Flipping open to a random page she began to read the old myth, bringing the story of the past to her modern gaze.

    ¡°LANCIAFIAMME PIANISSIMO!¡± Clarisse cried out, holding the gada with both hands in the direction of the beast as she called out the incantation. It wasn¡¯t an action she could explain, borne purely out of instinct. At first nothing noticeable happened to the gada, which confused her. She was considering calling out the incantation again, before she felt a sudden sap in her strength.

    Of course, this story was over two thousand years old, but the scenes in it could still be experienced today. The human girl, Clarisse gave her life essence, her rhythm to another of her blood ¨C a Resonator. Through the simple incantation, magic was born.

    The space around the fighter suddenly combusted into flames, disseminating the stream of water into a cloud of steam yet again. Clarisse felt the hit to her energy reserves at the same time, nearly being brought to her knees. It was a strange feeling, as if her intentions had bridged the physical gap between them to deliver her strength to something far away. For a moment, she felt a connection before it went away. Looking up, her face lit up as the fighter¡¯s flames had returned to the battle.

    The Resonator in this story was a fire element, hence the moniker of ¡°The Fire Hero,¡± which the pair was known for all over Riterra. In a world like Holly¡¯s where fire meant certain death, this hero was one of the least popular ones.

    Zalavan, like herself, all came in one elemental flavor ¨C Nature. Just as the roots of plants dug into the soil with ease, so too did they best those of the earth element. In turn, the wild nature of fire ravaged their bodies which were so closely attuned to plant life. Perhaps this fear is what drove the city of Inverna underground ¨C they could conquer the crust of Riterra and be safe from those who sought to wield fire against them.

    As her mind drifted in curiosity a certain landmark came to mind: the tree statue in the center of town. For some reason, she couldn¡¯t get the visage of it out of her mind today. Surely such a plant provided seeds worth the reverence. The fruit it bore wasn¡¯t like any she had familiarity with. She hummed in thought, wondering if there was someone who knew the mystery to her curiosity. As she returned her reading material to its home on the shelf, she smacked her forehead.

    It was so obvious she felt silly.

    She found her way to the librarian, who was taking their time dusting shelves.

    ¡°Uh, excuse me?¡± called Holly, as sweet as she could muster.

    ¡°Ah, little Holly. What is it, my sprout?¡± the wizened elder asked.

    ¡°Well, I was wondering if you knew what the big statue in the middle of town was,¡± Holly asked, smiling sheepishly as she made her inquiry.

    ¡°Oh, my sweet sprout, that is an apple tree. Do you know of Inverna¡¯s Grand Malus?¡± asked the elder.

    ¡°Grand Malus? That¡¯s uhhh¡­ I forget!¡± Holly laughed playfully. She didn¡¯t actually forget, though she was compelled to play up her innocence.

    ¡°The Grand Malus is the one who guides all of Inverna, a Queen if you will. The Grand Malus is one who grows apples, which are said to be the most powerful of all plants. The zalavan''s greatest treasure.¡±

    That certainly explained the reverence. But that raised more questions for Holly ¨C ones she couldn¡¯t just ask without the mask slipping.

    ¡°Thank you!¡± she beamed.

    Something to consider for later.

 Chapter 2

    Young Holly couldn¡¯t place why she was so wishy-washy about the idea of leaving Inverna. Laid out factually, she knew where the trepidation came from.

    -Her kind were exceedingly rare out in the greater world ¨C such rarity may draw unwanted attention.

    -Inverna was safe ¨C she had never even seen a crime committed in the peaceful city.

    -She wouldn''t be allowed back in should she leave ¨C a scary prospect.

    -Her mom would be sad.

    The last point was especially poignant. She didn¡¯t want to make her mom sad. Day by day though, poor Holly struggled to keep her ever-growing wanderlust in check. She wanted to see things, meet people, do something with her life besides stare at the same confining walls day in and day out.

    This was her personal hell.

    Her heart hammered with anxiety. She had to take her mind off of it. She sat up in bed, struggling to ease her breath down to a manageable level.

    Even at midnight when all was dark, she found the courage to act through curiosity. She closed her eyes and focused on the four holly berries that graced her head. As she lorded over the plants at her crown, she could exact a tax on them for their mutual protection. She drained the four toxic berries of their rhythm, their magical essence. She felt the element of nature coursing through her body, free for her to mold to her will.

    At that moment she hungered, and knew that she wouldn¡¯t be able to satiate her protesting gut with the food downstairs (those darn stairs were always so creaky). For that, she took matters into her own hands.

    Il Raccolto Della Natura was the spell she recited in her head and her knowledge of its inner workings gave form to the image that lived on her mental canvas. Normally these mundane-looking fruits cleansed the consumer of magically inflicted ailments, as such the spell was expensive rhythmically speaking. Expensive enough to require the rhythm of two whole holly berries ¨C of which she grew four naturally.

    The hunger pangs were intense; she felt the burden atop her head ease as the berries and leaves burnt away for magical purpose. Perhaps the desire was stronger than she realized as she unconsciously spent all four berries to create a small cluster of edible fruits in front of her. The fruit bore no seeds, nor held any true nutritional value from Holly¡¯s research ¨C they were just a vehicle to deliver a rhythmic payload. Either way, the empty foodstuffs quelled her stomach, imparting some satisfaction in the young zalavan.

    Her content was short-lived as a bitter smile graced her lips. ¡°Why do I think myself to death?¡±

    The girl fell back on her bed, arms splayed out. ¡°Why indeed?¡± she whispered as the veil of sleep took her into the darkness.

    KNOCK KNOCK

    Holly¡¯s eyes snapped open and her heart raced.

    Morning.

    Trapped.

    She was trapped. That was what every morning wrought. Some cruel god instilled wanderlust into the one being who had no way to quell it. Why? Why was it like this?

    ¡°Good morning my little berry tree!¡± came the same greeting that graced her ears as did every morning.

    ¡°I gotta get out of here¡­¡± Holly bit her thumbnail as she curled up on herself. At least her four berries had grown back, a sign she got her full eight hours of sleep. Even so, where her body was well rested, her mind was not.

    <hr>

    Leaving Inverna was easier said than done. Sure, she had been practicing seed craft, studying up on the effects of spells in all manner of different elements and attributes, and even went as far as to look into supplies for a theoretical expedition outside of her cavernous home.

    But still¡­ the world was a scary place full of so many uncertainties.

    If it was unknown, she¡¯d just have to alleviate that knowledge gap. That was the only solution to the problem that made sense.

    For that Holly repeated yesterday¡¯s excursion. Truth be told, it was how she spent most days. Having her nose in a book was the only way she found peace. Inverna had long since been wrung dry of discoveries for the eighteen-year-old girl.

    Where to actually start though? The world outside the walls of the city was vast, impossible for her to imagine with her limited experience.

    Holly browsed the many books at her disposal. Even the library¡¯s collection paled in comparison to what she knew was out there. But there had to be some information about the outside world. She wasn¡¯t daft enough to think everything that existed within the walls of Inverna was purely of zalavan origin ¨C this library housed examples of such within its many shelves.

    Trade existed. Somehow, some way, they traded with the outside world.

    The key was finding the knowledge that allowed this to happen, and how it happened safely.

    Starting simple was the key.

    Her eyes scanned the shelves as she recalled the basics. The element wheel was an interesting aspect of their world. Nature beats earth which beats lightning which beats water which beats fire ending off with fire beating nature. Solar and lunar were off to the side with their mutually assured destruction towards one another.

    While Inverna was a den claimed purely by the element of Nature, the greater world possessed those who breathed the other six. Those would be tricky to deal with. Holly had never seen another fully immersed in a different element. Sure, the rarer plants her fellow Resonators bore gave her whiffs of the other elements; the heat of fire, the tingle of lightning, the brightness of solar. All were dwarfed by the distinct foresty feeling that came from the population¡¯s shared element.

    Before she could pick out something to bolster her theoretical combat knowledge, she quickly spun and snatched up an entirely different book from the shelves behind her.

    ¡°Oh, little Holly, I hardly knew you were there,¡± said the old librarian, a smile gracing their lips as they approached the younger zalavan. ¡°What do you have there today?¡± they asked.

    ¡°Just a book on knitting!¡± Holly sang her prepared answer, showing the book describing a certain stitch pattern. The kind librarian didn¡¯t need to worry themselves about Holly¡¯s true objectives.

    The innocent material earned the young girl a gentle head pat before the librarian saw to tending to the rest of the collection.

    Once out of sight, Holly let out a held breath, her fa?ade melting away into her typical apathetic countenance. ¡°You don¡¯t need any more stress in your life,¡± muttered Holly, her calculating gaze returning to the knowledge she sought.

    <hr>

    ¡°I should get over myself and just check out the books,¡± Holly mumbled to herself as she walked home. It was late. A bit too late for her liking. Darkness blanketed the sleeping city, only through the glow of the embedded crystals above were the streets of Inverna navigable. She took a path, unlike her normal route home, away from any prying eyes. She just wanted to be alone; to pretend she had her freedom before returning to the reality of her existence.

    It was warm out as always. A neck craned up, to view the hole in the cave roof that hung so high as if a sky of its own. ¡°It gets cold at night in other parts of the world. Never here though¡­¡± Holly breathed out to an audience of none. Given the late hour, she was alone in her appreciation for the night sky, or what little of it she could make out. The small break in rock and crystal allowed the vista of the starry sky to poke through. She stopped for a moment to appreciate the few twinkling lights she could see.

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    ¡°Damn it,¡± sighed the zalavan, her shoulders catching slack as her gaze fell to the dirt road. With a heavy heart, she shifted to start her trek home. Before even a step could be made in that effort, a large hand covered her nose and mouth. Holly''s eyes went wide as she was suddenly yanked off the ground.

    ¡°Got one!¡± a voice cheered on a whisper.

    ¡°That¡¯s everything we need; let¡¯s get outta here before any more show up,¡± a second quietly warned.

    ¡°We¡¯re set for life if we can get her and these apple seeds back to Mr. Noel!¡±

    ¡°Not sure what he wants with this stuff, but hey if he forks over the cash, I ain¡¯t gonna question it.¡±

    ¡°You and me both, let¡¯s get!¡±

    Holly¡¯s heart pounded in her chest as she was effortlessly taken away, unable to break free.

    The reality of her situation was crashing down on her: she was being kidnapped! Holly was no easy mark, however; she closed her eyes, ready to tap into the berries atop her head.

    Wait¡­

    The person that was holding her was too large to be a zalavan ¨C her people were a demure species compared to others (or at least that¡¯s how foreign books described zalavan as a whole). Holly quickly scanned what she could make out. Breaking free was impossible, the one who grabbed her was muscular in build. Far greater mass than any zalavan could ever hope to put on, their biology simply did not allow for it. Oh, how she wished she could see her assailant!

    She was able to see the accomplice to the grabby individual. A man, taller than any melopomorph she had ever seen in her short life. He was a lean, rough individual, or at least what she imagined one would look like. Long greasy hair, tied up, with scars and dirt coating his body and clothing. His shoulders were broad, jawline sharp and squared, also bearing much more height and musculature than she had ever seen on any zalavan. This man looked practically alien compared to her people.

    With all that in mind, Holly realized he must be a Maestro based on his distinct lack of any elemental feeling from his form. That and the red object he proudly wore at his waist ¨C a tuner, the symbol of modern Maestros which linked them to the Resonators they commanded in battle. She had only seen the gadget in books describing their form and function; thankfully this was a reliable fact rather than fiction.

    Adding it all together, she deduced getting into Inverna wasn¡¯t the easiest process. That would explain the distinct lack of Maestros in their little slice of the world. Holly surmised her foremothers picked their underground haven for this express purpose.

    The Resonator to the man¡¯s Maestro was easy to figure out with all that considered: the striking red of the tuner and the overbearing heat suffocating Holly; she had been grabbed by one bearing the fire element. It was an elementary conclusion ¨C bring fire to a colony full of nature elements. A child could have conceived such a plan. The issue was of what species the fire element was; it wasn¡¯t something she could intuit from her limited vantage point.

    What she did know was other Resonator species could bear an innumerable number of animalistic traits. How those traits manifested again, was a mystery to her. Book smarts did not translate to street smarts, and that would be her undoing if she allowed it.

    As her mind worked, her heart pounded with a rapid steady beat, and her body trembled. Despite the rugged hand clasped firmly over her mouth and nose, she felt a rush she had never experienced before.

    Even as she was crushed by the secure grasp, even as she struggled to breathe through constricting digits, even as they spoke of her ultimate fate.

    This wasn¡¯t fear.

    She was being kidnapped! And innocent little Holly¡­ was excited. More excited than she had ever been in her brief existence. She didn¡¯t even mind the rough treatment. It was something new, something different. She was going to see the world! These muscle heads had solved her problem for her!

    Holly thanked Sage Lanvi that it was her they grabbed and not someone content with their life. A lesser zalavan would have been beyond themselves with despair. Not Holly though. She was simply built different. If being built different meant her brain constantly tormented her with the prospect of exploring the world. She realized what a messed up little sprout she was. Who in the world got excited about being kidnapped?

    Perhaps she¡¯d meet someone who shared her sentiments - the desire¡­ no, the lust for freedom.

    Speaking of her wanderlust, the caves they traversed were like nothing she had ever seen. They had crossed a boundary that she hadn¡¯t been allowed to before. The path ahead was rocky but oddly well-traveled. Lights were affixed to the cavern walls, illuminating the way for the three adventurers. This was perfect! She had plausible deniability!

    What¡¯s more, they didn¡¯t even think to search her! As such, she still had her entire satchel of seeds hidden in her jacket¡¯s inner breast pocket. She¡¯d have to be careful. Let them take her just far enough away so she could get properly lost, that was how she would get her freedom. In this way, she¡¯d have an easy way back home if the world truly was too much for her.

    To that end, the little zalavan struggled ¨C she knew it was a fruitless endeavor. When it came to raw strength, the mystery fire Resonator had her well and truly beat. One might logically conclude she should preserve her strength knowing escape was futile. Holly thought that was sloppy planning, however. She had the forethought to keep up appearances; she had to make them think she was helpless ¨C her specialty.

    It wouldn¡¯t go that smoothly; she may have lacked worldly experience but a fool she was not. That being said, she did have to play the hapless victim for now to make them drop their guard. The mask stayed on, it was the only way to ensure her safety.

    Though she was shaken to her core as a breeze hit them. A cool breeze. There was light ahead. It was dim light, but it was light. Holly couldn¡¯t keep her act up as her heart hammered harder and harder.

    This was it.

    It was happening.

    Against her will, she was brought¡­ outside.

    It was beautiful. So high up she could see it all ¨C the infinite sky with all its shimmering stars, the endless sea of trees. She began to cry. This was all she had ever wanted. Her dream was before her very eyes and all she could do was sob though the hand clamped tightly over her nose and mouth.

    ¡°What¡¯s her problem?¡± asked the fire Resonator.

    ¡°Dunno, probably scared shitless. Whatever, let¡¯s keep going before we¡¯re seen,¡± said the Maestro.

    They couldn¡¯t have been more wrong, but Holly didn''t correct them ¨C this was the start of her grand adventure. Even if the circumstances were less than ideal, every story had to begin somewhere. She could confidently call this hers.

 Chapter 3

    ¡°Owie!¡± Holly landed on a hard metal surface. Before she could get a grip on her situation, she was plunged into darkness, as a pair of doors were slammed shut with a thunderous clang.

    ¡°Wait wait! Let me out! Please!¡± she cried. She rushed to the door and pounded on them, making as much racket as possible. Even through her frenzied screams she meticulously studied how the doors reacted to physical force. There was a small amount of give, not enough for her tiny body to force through. Ultimately, her display fell on deaf ears and she knew it. After she was sure her captors were gone, she quieted. Stepping back and wiping her face dry, she allowed herself a reprieve to catch her breath. It was good to be able to breathe uninhibited after being restrained for so long.

    The whole container vibrated; a foreign noise joined the sudden commotion ¨C it was a strange hum the zalavan couldn¡¯t place. She almost lost her footing as a force was suddenly exerted on her. They were moving.

    This must be an automobile, she surmised. Her observations matched the description of such machinery she had read about. With that in mind, she knew for certain they couldn¡¯t hear her false cries any longer ¨C no point in wasting any further energy on that.

    She rubbed her head where her namesake berries had been plucked from. The thugs weren¡¯t as foolish as she had given them credit for. They were rough when pulling the hollies from her hair, hearing the Maestro of the two tell his Resonator: ¡°If we leave her with those, she can cast spells.¡±

    ¡°They did their homework,¡± mused Holly with an impressed chuckle.

    Reaching into her coat, she pulled out her seed satchel. ¡°Not good enough I¡¯m afraid.¡± She drew open her precious inventory of seeds and felt through them. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± She considered her choices. It would probably be wise to pick something with a physical force, just in case the transport had any resistance or shielding against traditional magic. She wasn¡¯t versed in such protections, but the outside world had to have some. Better to plan for it than not.

    With that in mind, it really only left her with earth magic. She sifted through her pouch and located four potato seeds. This would give her several shots of earth magic, just in case it didn¡¯t work the first time. Alternatively, she could channel all four into one big shot and ensure she could force her way through. Probably a better idea for the overall expedience of her brewing plan.

    There was a second point that concerned her. They wouldn¡¯t just let her get away so easily. When she did spring herself from her imprisonment, they would fight tooth and nail to get her back. They had made their intentions clear from the little they spoke in front of her: she was a prize to be sold off to the highest bidder.

    Mr. Noel

    Whoever that was probably didn¡¯t have her best interests in mind considering he was resorting to kidnapping a zalavan.

    Holly didn¡¯t plan to stick around long enough to meet the man. To that end, she began to count. Inaction would be her demise or worse. But rash action would kill her faster.

    She had to be patient.

    She had to wait.

    A few hours were nothing compared to the eighteen years of mind-numbing boredom she was subject to within the rocky prison of Inverna.

    And so, she counted.

    And counted.

    And counted.

    Every second that ticked by she wanted to just tear the roots out and get it over with, but she needed that plausible deniability. Her thoughts drifted to her mother.

    There was a tinge of guilt that stuck in Holly¡¯s heart. Her mother would be heartbroken. Maybe one day Holly could go back? Hopefully, her mom wouldn¡¯t wilt before she got the opportunity.

    Holly shook her head. She couldn¡¯t let herself drown in her thoughts now! Her mother would definitely wilt if she died here! No, she needed to be perfect. It all had to go according to plan.

    And so, she counted.

    And counted.

    And counted.

    It had been several hours, or at least she had counted enough for that amount of time to pass. During that wait, she had picked out the spells she was going to cast.

    Four potato seeds to give her the highest rank of attack magic ¨C Fortissimo rank. The spell she was going to cast was one called Colpito da una Roccia. She subscribed to the theory of keeping it simple. Just a big dumb rock. Firing one at the highest rank should smash right through the door with little trouble.

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    The second seed she picked out was a dandelion seed, which could grant her wind spells that existed under the umbrella of the solar element. That was the speed aspect of her plan. Utilizing wind magic would give her the mobility she needed to make her quick getaway.

    It didn¡¯t matter where she went after her escape ¨C anywhere far from her kidnappers would do. She¡¯d figure out the rest from there. Spontaneity wasn¡¯t a strong suit of hers, but neither was getting kidnapped in the middle of the night; so she¡¯d just have to deal with it.

    ¡°Give me everything you got,¡± she whispered to the four potato seeds.

    She pulled in the rhythm from the seeds, turning them to dust after absorbing their contents. Flowing within her now existed the power of earth magic. However, it was not something her body was designed to hold. It was desperately exerting its force on her ¨C it wanted out.

    With a deep breath, she extended a palm out, bracing her extended arm with the other. She aimed square at the center of the door, where a small crack of light peeked in.

    In her mind, she crafted the spell. A big dumb rock. From the seed¡¯s wisdom came form; however, right as she fired the spell, the entire trailer shook from a sudden bump in the road. Her spell instead ended up aimed at the floor just below the door, severely damaging both it and the door with concussive force, but allowing the container to remain shut.

    Her heart stopped; eyes wide. She couldn¡¯t even utter a cry of anguish. The zalavan was knocked off her feet as the truck ground to a halt. The massive boulder from her spell now blocked her only escape route.

    How did it all go so wrong so quickly? She wanted to just curl up and die.

    The slams of the cabin doors jarred her from her mental breakdown.

    ¡°He¡¯s fire. Fire¡¯s weak to water.¡± Her mind worked overtime to devise a plan. She couldn¡¯t die here. Not when she was so close to achieving her dreams. ¡°Water, water, water.¡± The frantic girl quickly searched her satchel for the seeds she needed. A handful of rice seeds would do the trick. The calm flow of the water element quickly filled her as she drained them for all their magic.

    Replacing her satchel in her coat pocket, she aimed a palm out just as she had done for Colpito da una Roccia. The spell she aimed now was the basic spell of water ¨C Idrante.

    Water, she was just going to blast him with water. It probably wouldn¡¯t kill him, but even if it did it was either her or him.

    Her hand trembled, as she waited for the struggle to begin. She shook violently, both magic and adrenaline coursing through her, attempting to tear her asunder from the inside. Sweat poured down her face as she couldn¡¯t bring herself to blink. This is the price of freedom, she reminded herself.

    The door was thrust open from the outside after some effort.

    ¡°What the fuck is this boulder doing here?!¡±

    ¡°Move it dumbshit!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t gotta yell!¡±

    Holly was wound so tightly she felt ready to snap from the built-up tension, but she held firm despite the painful rhythm struggling to burst out of her. The boulder moved as the fire Resonator pulled it out of the truck.

    As soon as his back was turned, she fired. The pent-up force of the fortissimo level Idrante utterly overtook the Resonator who didn¡¯t expect the surprise attack and he was swept away. Holly didn¡¯t take a moment to relish in her handiwork. She sprinted out of the truck and hit the ground ready to run. But before she got away-

    THWACK!

    She met Riterran soil for the first time in her life. Hard. Violently. Her head swam as she struggled to form a coherent thought. What even happened? Her body refused to obey her. She tried to reach her seeds. Her arm didn''t move. It was still there. The cold dirt under her was so vivid at that exact moment. It was still night. So dark¡­ or maybe she was blacking out?

    ¡°You little bitch!¡±

    The throbbing pain at the back of her skull was not lonely for long as her ribs joined in on the protest, as they were repeatedly struck by an enraged Maestro''s foot.

    This was the price of freedom¡­

    Her vision began to fade, the last thing that graced her ears was the growl of the man who had beaten her into the dirt.

    ¡°You best thank Sahji you¡¯re worth more alive than dead, you fucking weed.¡±

 Chapter 4

    Waking typically wasn¡¯t pleasant for Holly. It was a reminder of her incarceration and the mental anguish that came with that.

    Even after being taken from Inverna, her torment continued.

    Except now, she was beaten to a pulp alongside her imprisonment. Her eyes opened. Her head pounded, still recovering from the blunt force trauma she lived through. Her ribs were also sore from the repeated strikes she took when she was down.

    ¡°I thought men were supposed to be chivalrous,¡± she joked weakly to herself. ¡°Ow¡­¡± she winced. It hurt to laugh.

    What else was going on? It was dark, that much was for sure. The distinct hum of the truck informed her they were on the move. She was now tied up pretty securely with some rope.

    ¡°Fuck¡­¡± she cursed allowing her face to re-meet the cold metal floor below. How did it all go so wrong?

    Well, she was kidnapped for one. Thinking about it, she should have been more careful. How foolish of her.

    There were any number of ways she could have handled that and come out on top. Now she found herself in a more compromised position than before.

    She had strawberry seeds in her bag, which would let her ease her suffering. Unfortunately, with her arms bound as tight as they were, there was no way she was checking to see if they found her satchel. She did make sure to hide them in her jacket¡¯s inner pocket before launching her previous attack. It was very possible they could have missed them, but she just couldn¡¯t be certain.

    Some time had clearly passed since their scuffle. Bright light now poured in from outside. They were in the same truck given the damaged state of the door. Wait-

    ¡°My hollies¡­¡± she gasped. She could feel them adorning her head once more.

    ¡°They must not be familiar with zalavan biology,¡± whispered Holly in realization.

    It was a tool she could use, but she only had four shots to her name right now. If she messed this up¡­ well she didn¡¯t want to consider the consequences of failing again.

    With great effort, she pushed herself up into a sitting position and scooched her way to the door. If she could get out of the truck and they were near any plants, it would be no contest. She trembled and let out a small whimper. Getting blindsided like she did wasn¡¯t something she wanted to repeat. Another tremble as tears escaped her eyes. These were not tears of her mask, not an act or show of innocence. Holly was genuinely crying. The excitement had long passed. Now she was feeling what she should have from the get-go ¨C fear.

    If she was beaten unconscious by her captors, who knows what this Mr. Noel character was going to do to her. She didn¡¯t want to find out.

    Finally psyching herself up, Holly tapped into her namesake ¨C the four holly berries that graced her head. She had enough ammo there for one fortissimo-ranked spell or several lower-ranked ones. Only in the Nature element sadly. It was only now that she wished she had been graced with fruits of other elements rather than her cute little holly berries. No crying over fallen leaves, there would be plenty of time for that once free.

    All that in mind, she was primed and ready to fire off a spell.

    But she had no idea what to do. None of the nature spells she could recall at the moment seemed to be of any use to her. Especially if that fire element was back on his feet already. Nature spells would do nothing to him since he resisted their effects.

    There was one thing she could think to do. She ruminated on how many berries to burn up in this little stunt. Finally, she decided on two. She took in their power directly from her body, feeling the leaves shrivel up and crumble from the left side of her head. Now the nature rhythm joined her own, readying her for spellcasting.

    Unlike other elemental spells, those in the nature element came easy to her. Albero Robusto was the one she decided on. A spell that caused a tree to quickly grow from nothing. She muttered a small gratitude to Sage Lanvi and Sage Luca that the spell didn¡¯t have any specific terrain requirements. Wherever she willed it to, the tree would grow.

    Her will dictated it would grow in the cracks created by her usage of the boulder spell. The spell went off exactly as she intended. A tree sprouted and grew in the cracks almost instantaneously. The magically sprouted trunk cared not for the space it invaded and easily broke the latches off the doors causing them to swing open. Holly only had seconds to act. She threw herself from the truck which was still barreling down the dirt road at top speed.

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    The landing was rough, but it sure beat the entrapment afforded to her by the transport.

    She had no time to celebrate her freedom as the truck skidded to a halt. She did not want to stick around to face her captor¡¯s wrath a second time. Her arms remained bound, so she used her legs to push herself into a nearby bush.

    With her last two berries, she cast Tempesta di Polline; another nature element spell. This one was a support spell she cast in the middle rank ¨C Moderato.

    The effect was apparent immediately. Pollen filled the air and hung around, spread further by the slight breeze that graced the forest.

    It would do nothing to the fire Resonator who resisted it. But his Maestro wouldn¡¯t fare so fortunate.

    With a silent hope that would be enough, Holly pushed herself deeper into the forest ¨C away from the road. She had to get as far away from her kidnappers as possible.

    Their enraged screams only inspired tears of terror to pour down the girl¡¯s cheeks as she made her retreat in a fearful frenzy. She tried to quiet herself as she continued to flee. The trees, rocks, and shrubbery all got in her way as she was forced to push the upper half of her body along. She wasn¡¯t fast by any stretch of the imagination and standing was basically impossible without the usage of her arms.

    Finally, she decided enough was enough. She had to get to her feet. Even if her arms were still bound tightly, she¡¯d have a much easier time escaping if she was standing.

    As it turned out, having your hands behind your back made it quite difficult to stand up. Holly rolled face-down and using her head as leverage, she eventually managed to get herself onto her knees. With the hard part out of the way, she managed to finally get herself upright.

    Just in time too, as the colorful obscenities of her captors were growing closer. She looked around and discovered she was in the company of many seed-bearing plants ¨C her allies in this war. It was as if she had an entire army¡¯s worth of ammunition at her disposal. Even without her hands, she still had a mouth ¨C she hoped that would be enough for her to cast spells with.

    She couldn¡¯t get choosy with her selections. She found a tree and bit into it. The connoisseur in her wanted to violently reject the bark, but she wasn¡¯t a foodie right now ¨C she was an escapee trying to survive.

    The tree had an insane amount of rhythm to offer her. It made sense logically, it was such a big living being, unlike the seeds she normally drained for spellcraft. Even so, she only had a limited number of shots. From her guess she was still pulling from seeds, just going through the tree¡¯s rhythm network to access them.

    Nature element rhythm filled her body with enough to cast any of her spells at their maximum power. More distractionary maneuvers. She just needed to run.

    The tree relinquished five seeds, providing her with the maximum level of support magic. The pollen of Tempesta di Polline filled the air again but with far more violence this time. Visibility dropped as the fine grains invaded the breathable space.

    Again, she knew the fire element wouldn¡¯t be hindered by such magic. She hoped the dip in visibility would help her vanish into the trees.

    ¡°AAAUGH FUCK!¡±

    And the screams of the vulnerable Maestro could disguise the sound of her footsteps. Holly bolted, running through the underbrush. She had no destination, no guiding marker. The only direction was ¡°away¡±. Away from her assailants, away from danger. She didn¡¯t need civilization to survive. Even as na?ve as she was, she could live off of sunlight and water.

    Her people were survivalists. The only time she ever thanked her foremothers for taking in the blessings of nature.

    Holly pushed through some shrubbery and found the worst possible thing barring her way: raging rapids. Her head whipped to and fro as she desperately tried to find an alternate path that wasn¡¯t the violent water.

    ¡°It¡¯s this way!¡±

    The zalavan trembled, the rope binding her feeling all the tighter as her breathing intensified. She had no choice. At least in the water she could hide from his fire magic.

    Hopefully, this wasn¡¯t the conclusion of her escape ¨C the bookend of her life¡¯s story.

    Right as the fire Resonator burst through the bushes, Holly jumped. A massive stream of fire narrowly missed her, the sheer heat from the enraged attack not hurting her physically but psychologically.

    If he hadn¡¯t missed¡­

    SPLASH!

 Chapter 5

    SMACK

    Why?

    ¡°Don¡¯t get smart with me! Who do you think you are?!¡±

    Why did he hit me?

    ¡°I brought you into this world! I can take you out of it!¡±

    Smart¡­ I shouldn¡¯t be smart¡­

    ¡°Oleander! No!¡±

    ¡°Let go of me Ilex!¡±

    SMACK

    Mom too¡­ if I wasn¡¯t smart he wouldn¡¯t hit Mom¡­

    ¡°Stupid weed! If you were just an innocent little bud, I wouldn¡¯t have to do this! Who do you think you are?!¡±

    If I¡¯m innocent¡­ he won¡¯t hit me or mom¡­

    I shouldn¡¯t be smart¡­ I should just be innocent and happy¡­

    I want to be smart¡­

    It¡¯s okay if no one knows¡­ right?

    <hr>

    Holly¡¯s eyes cracked open, the exhaustion hitting her like a sack of potatoes. Though¡­ she was comfy?

    It took a moment for her to process what was going on, but she was in a bed. A thick, warm comforter covered her body¡­ which was clothed in loose, unfamiliar attire. Her face flushed as she realized someone must have changed her out of her clothes, even going as far as to remove her green leggings.

    At the realization that someone had so thoroughly stripped her down, she sat up with alarm. She needed as much information as she could gather now. Where she woke was a log cabin. The windows were open. A gentle, warm breeze circulated throughout the space. A fireplace held a timid fire, wafting gentle warmth into the home.

    Her eyes remained fixed on the modest hearth longer than she intended. Her heart rate steadily increased the more she stared. Between each blink, she saw the visage of that fire Resonator¡¯s wrathful gaze and the fire that was aimed to¡­ kill her.

    Her panic spiral was only halted by a more physical sensation ¨C her stomach growling. A certain scent had hit her nose and reminded her how long she had been deprived of sustenance. She closed her eyes and sniffed the air. It was unlike anything to ever grace her nose before. It was a savory scent, coming from the cauldron hanging above the open flames.

    It smelled really good. She was hungry but also wary. Her clothes were missing, meaning the possibility of her being defenseless. She never had a chance to check herself for her seed satchel before she passed out. She ran her hands through her hair, she had one holly berry on each side of her head, so that was something. Not out long enough to get her full four back though.

    Another growl of protest from her stomach quieted her rumination. ¡°Hungry,¡± she whimpered. Whatever was cooking smelled so very good, her mouth watered with desire. She wanted it badly.

    But, she couldn¡¯t, not without figuring out what happened to her first.

    And the first place Holly started her investigation was the pot.

    ¡°Damn it, no!¡± she hissed to herself, smacking her face with both hands. Something was enrapturing about the boiling stew. Her stomach growled so loudly it almost hurt.

    ¡°Uhg¡­ So hungry¡­¡± whined the little zalavan. She looked around for utensils of some kind. Surely this place had a bowl and some spoons. Maybe just the spoon. She could just eat right from the pot.

    ¡°Focus, Holly! Focus!¡± she berated herself.

    ¡°Oh, so your name is Holly, is it?¡±

    The little nature element froze, her heart falling into the pit of her stomach as the hunger was replaced by crippling dread. A cold sweat quickly coated her body as she shakily turned to face the owner of the mystery voice.

    ¡°Y-yes! That¡¯s me! Holly! How are you Miiiiiiss?¡± The mask went back on, but it was a mental scramble to swap back.

    ¡°Better than you. ¡± The larger woman stepped around Holly, tending to the boiling food. ¡°Mind telling me why you were tied up in a river? Piss off your Maestro?¡± she questioned.

    Holly studied the back of the older woman. She bore large wings, feathered in black and yellow. Her hair seemed sharp and spikey, almost slicked back, matching her feathers in hue. The yellow accompanied a feeling Holly had yet to experience in this intensity. There was a buzz about the larger Resonator, a sort of static that tickled the young zalavan ¨C this must have been what a real lightning element felt like.

    Remembering the elemental affinities, lightning and nature did not interact ¨C a neutral matchup. She needed more information before fully judging the situation.

    ¡°Some bad men took me from home but I ran away while they weren¡¯t looking!¡± Some detail was obfuscated under the veil of her mask. She thought it better to appear as harmless as possible until she could piece together her present predicament.

    The bird woman continued tending to the stew. ¡°And the river?¡± she questioned again.

    ¡°I fell in!¡± Holly giggled. ¡°I was running too fast and slipped. Mom always told me I should watch where I was going!¡± Her upbeat lilt and playful laughter may have been a bit too much considering the situation. Dial it back. Her outward expression clouded. ¡°Am I gonna be able to go home, miss?¡±

    She earned a snort in response. The lightning element turned, towering over the zalavan. ¡°Doubt it. Don¡¯t see many of your kind out in the wild.¡± The bird sized up what little of Holly there was. ¡°Cute thing like you will probably get snatched up real quick,¡± she scoffed.

    ¡°No way!¡± Holly gasped in (false) astonishment. While she figured her people¡¯s rarity worked against them, the confirmation of zalavan scarcity in wider Riterra was interesting. As was the woman¡¯s specific wording: ¡°many of your kind,¡± which implied that zalavan were of a known quantity. It did track given she was specifically snatched off the streets of Inverna by a Maestro who was there on some kind of nebulous business.

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    ¡°Mr. Noel.¡±

    Whoever he was had enough power or influence to request people to work on his behalf. Someone to avoid for sure.

    ¡°But what about you? Are you all alone?¡± asked Holly.

    Another huff. ¡°It¡¯s easier this way.¡±

    So, no Maestro to her Resonator, easy enough. At least she didn¡¯t have to worry about spells being shouted at her. Though Holly¡¯s understanding of Resonator''s self-defense capabilities extended to exactly what her own species could do. She cursed her knowledge gap, but decided to play it safe for now.

    ¡°What if that scary man comes back?!¡± Holly exclaimed.

    The winged woman smirked. Sparks of electricity arced down her body. ¡°He¡¯d meet his maker sooner rather than later.¡±

    It took everything in Holly¡¯s power not to be intimidated by the threatening display. Even with her limited experience, she knew whoever this lightning element was could back up that promise.

    ¡°Are you really strong, miss?¡± instead the little zalavan played up her adoration of the older Resonator.

    ¡°It¡¯s not miss,¡± said the gruff bird. ¡°Natacha,¡± she said.

    ¡°Okay, Miss Natacha!¡± Holly beamed.

    The bird narrowed her gaze in annoyance. ¡°Just¡­ whatever,¡± she went back to tending to the food.

    Holly let out a short breath in relief. At least she¡¯d have time to probe for more worldly knowledge and take her leave once she had gotten what she could out of this Natacha character. For the time being, she needed to figure out how to get in on some of that food simmering over the open flames.

    As it turned out, Holly was wasting brain power, as a steaming bowl was suddenly thrust into her face.

    ¡°It¡¯s hot,¡± advised Natacha.

    ¡°Thank you, Miss Natacha,¡± Holly mumbled, blowing on the steaming soup.

    As Holly plopped herself back onto the bed, the bird took her leave of the home to destinations unknown.

    ¡°Hrm¡­¡± Holly¡¯s innocent fa?ade faded as her eyes lingered on the door. ¡°Wonder what her story is,¡± said the zalavan in her true voice. ¡°Oh well, food is food I suppose.¡± Truth be told, it smelled even better right in her face. The young girl¡¯s mouth watered fiercely as she repeatedly blew on the fresh meal.

    Her hands trembled. Why was that? Was she just that hungry?

    No, she was excited. Really excited. It was just soup.

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    She lifted her head. The realization hit her as her lips turned up. ¡°I¡¯m free.¡±

    <hr>

    Natacha returned to her humble little cabin and found the zalavan she rescued to be content on her bed, a polished bowl sitting on the nightstand.

    ¡°I suppose you enjoyed it.¡± The bird allowed a small smirk on her lips.

    Holly perked up. ¡°Yes, Miss Natacha! It was really tasty!¡± she beamed with joy. She didn¡¯t need to wear the mask for that one ¨C it truly was a divine meal.

    ¡°If I could eat food like that every day, I¡¯d be so happy!¡± Again, Holly¡¯s true feelings slipped out, but under the air of her bubbly mask.

    ¡°Did they not feed you back home?¡± Natacha asked, brow raised. It was clear to Holly the bird didn¡¯t think her cooking to be anything special.

    ¡°Mom says food is really expensive, and we can eat the sunlight,¡± said the zalavan. ¡°I like tasty food though, so Mom makes sure to get me yummy snacks for when I¡¯m good little berry tree!¡± Holly felt perhaps she laid it on a little thick there, but she was in a good mood, so she let it pass.

    As did Natacha, who grunted in acknowledgment. ¡°Plenty of good food out there. Though it¡¯s probably better if you find your way back to that home of yours.¡±

    Holly¡¯s innocent mien cracked, her head reflexively jerking away to hide the growing disgust that leaked out of her mind. There wasn¡¯t any way in hell she was going back there. Especially not after only one meal. If this was what average cooking tasted like, then what did the top of the culinary world offer? She had to know ¨C her curiosity would allow nothing less.

    After allowing a second for her composure to return, Holly spoke once more. ¡°I don¡¯t know where my home is,¡± she admitted. It was the truth. The most she knew was that it was in a hollow mountain somewhere. But none of the maps she had read in the past pointed out where Inverna was. Had she left of her own accord as planned perhaps she could have charted it out and retraced her steps as needed.

    Getting thrown in a truck, knocked out, and falling into a river spun her around so much it was dizzying even thinking about it.

    No, there wasn¡¯t any way she was getting home on her own. If she wanted to get home the only way was through him.

    That Mr. Noel character knew where Inverna was located. After all, he hired thugs to steal apple seeds and a zalavan to go with them. Why? Perhaps if she felt like pursuing that thread she''d find out. Perhaps was doing a lot of heavy lifting in that thought, however. For now, she cared not.

    Natacha meanwhile wore a complicated expression. Something between pity and annoyance. Holly figured she could mooch off of the bird¡¯s kindness, however, it was clear to her that her welcome would wear thin quickly.

    That was fine. As soon as Holly figured out what her seed situation looked like, she could start her plans fresh.

 Chapter 6

    Figures.

    It took everything in Holly¡¯s willpower not to scowl at the grim discovery ¨C her seed satchel was missing, meaning her potential fighting capabilities were reset back to zero. Well, back to four, as her head-mounted garden remained and she¡¯d have her four shots refilled daily.

    Four shots meant nothing against a smart opponent. She could play dirty and attack the Maestro directly; but as she found out against her first real opponents, all that did was piss them off and make their pursuit that much more dangerous if she didn¡¯t end it lethally.

    And a killer she was not. The idea of ending any encounter with someone dead made her stomach churn. Absolute last resort territory ¨C if it came down to a choice between her life and someone else¡¯s, well the choice wasn¡¯t hard.

    Holly shook her head. What a grim train of thought. With any luck, her pursuers would think her dead.

    ¡°Everything alright?¡± Natacha questioned, noting the sudden contemplation of the fruit bearer.

    Playing up the waterworks, Holly spun around, her bottom lip quivering. ¡°Miss Natacha it''s awful! Those horrible people stole all my seeds! How will I survive without them?!¡± cried the zalavan.

    The bird was taken aback by the sudden outpouring of emotion. ¡°Are seeds really that important to your kind?¡± she asked.

    Holly nodded. ¡°Very very very important! Like the most important thing!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°I dunno what I¡¯m gonna do without them,¡± she quietly admitted, her head drooping.

    Natacha chewed on that thought for a moment before speaking. ¡°What kind of seeds do you need?¡±

    Paydirt. The zalavan whipped her head up, her eyes sparkling with falsified hope. ¡°Any kind! All kinds! Spicy seeds, Minty seeds, sweet seeds! Anything and everything! Mom says a good berry tree should have plenty of seeds in her pockets, and I¡¯m a good little berry tree!¡± boasted the young woman.

    The lightning bird couldn¡¯t claim to understand the affairs of plants but recognized how important this was. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can find around here, you just sit tight.¡±

    ¡°I will! Thank you, Miss Natacha!¡± Holly beamed. She made like an obedient little houseplant and returned to the comfort of the log cabin.

    <hr>

    Holly couldn¡¯t hazard a guess as to where she had ended up. She didn¡¯t know what to expect when Natacha returned ¨C what kind of flora was even available in this region?

    She certainly didn¡¯t expect a huge bundle of large brown fruits.

    ¡°Will this work to get you started?¡± asked Natacha, setting the leathery fruits on the table.

    The zalavan rushed over and began to study them. Just a touch told her everything she needed to know. ¡°Yes¡­¡± Her eyes widened. The massive bundle of rhythm stored inside told her she had hit the motherlode: lightning element. A very rare element to her people. ¡°These must be cacao then,¡± Holly spoke, her red eyes scrutinizing them further.

    ¡°Oh? You can tell?¡± asked Natacha, arms folded across her chest as she watched the little Resonator appraise the haul.

    ¡°Yeah! They¡¯re all tingly! Kinda like you are!¡± Holly giggled.

    ¡°Tingly? These things have rhythm?¡± questioned the bird.

    ¡°Mhm! Everything that lives has rhythm. Don¡¯t you know that?¡±

    ¡°Well duh, I just didn¡¯t think plants had elemental rhythm. I thought they were just uh plants.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a plant and I have rhythm,¡± Holly pointed out.

    ¡°You¡¯re a person who carries plants on your body,¡± Natacha countered.

    ¡°I¡¯m a plant,¡± Holly repeated her assertion. She was tempted to add carnivorous for humorous effect but thought it too much for her outer image.

    Natacha grunted and went back to tending to her ever-boiling pot of stew.

    In the interim, Holly got to work. She could definitely strike it out on her own with this number of lightning spells to her name. Each fruit contained anywhere from thirty to fifty individual seeds. With five total fruits, that was a minimum of 150 uses of the most basic lightning magic. Plenty for her to head out and start collecting more varied elements. It was actually the best possible outcome. Nature magic came to plants the easiest ¨C as long as she was in a forested area she essentially had infinite usage of nature magic. Theoretically, that was enough to take care of any non-fire elements that wanted to get uppity with her.

    Meanwhile, with the abundance of nature magic all around her, any earth elements who were immune to lightning magic could be dealt with by the nature spells.

    It wasn¡¯t ideal; she wanted to figure out how to stock up on rice sooner rather than later, given rice provided water magic and had very tiny seeds. It would be much easier to carry a ton of rice seeds over any other magic type; a safety blanket against fire elements so to speak.

    In their current state, the cacao seeds were bulkier than they needed to be. If she wanted to carry them properly, she needed to strip them of their meat. So Holly got to work. She sat at the little wood table with the five pods, studying them. They were ripe, fresh, and ready to go.

    ¡°Miss Natacha, may I please borrow a knife?¡± asked Holly.

    The bird pulled a utility knife from her side and tossed it to the little zalavan. Poor Holly got a good jolt by having a sharp implement suddenly thrown at her, but she discovered it was a folding knife. She carefully flicked it out and got to work.

    First was the outer pod; she expertly cut into the flesh of the pod and freed the large white fruit body from its container. Now began the real processing: with each individual fruit she used the knife to carefully carve the seed coat off of the brown bean and free it from its fruity container. She repeated this process methodically and meticulously, making a pile of white fruit flesh and her prize ¨C a pile of dark brown beans that exuded a rich chocolatey scent.

    Holly wished she had some music or something to listen to while she worked; Natacha lacked a record player or much else besides the bare essentials. Even so, she got into a good pace with it, quickly freeing her precious bullets from its organic packaging. In the span of a few hours, her ammunition had gone from a measly four shots to around forty times that in only one afternoon of work.

    ¡°All happy,¡± beamed the zalavan, taking pride in her craft.

    ¡°Huh, you¡¯re pretty good at this,¡± Natacha noted, picking up one of the rescued beans and giving it a once over.

    ¡°Mhm, I had the best seed-sowing grades in school,¡± boasted the little nature element.

    ¡°Hm? Your people have schools?¡±

    The zalavan tilted her head cutely. ¡°Yeah, did you not go to school?¡± she asked.

    Natacha chuckled hollowly. ¡°Only the lucky ones get to go to school,¡± she said, her voice quiet. Before Holly could inquire further, Natacha left the log cabin, leaving the berry tree of a girl alone.

    The cheerful fa?ade faded from the girl¡¯s face as she studied the door. ¡°Hrm¡­¡±

    She never considered it, but she had no real idea of how Resonators were treated in Riterran society. The books she read felt¡­ utilitarian. She always assumed that was the quirk of writing a technical manual though.

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    Holly shook her head. The kidnapper and his Resonator seemed to be on good terms, maybe Natacha just had a bad experience and it soured her perspective on the subject. Something to look into later.

    Turning her attention to her lightning-themed pile of beans, Holly smirked. ¡°Even if their society is broken, I have my own weapons.¡±

    <hr>

    Holly awoke to a shooting pain in her back. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± she groaned as she sat up. As it turned out, a table did not make a good pillow and the zalavan anatomy protested a C-shaped spine.

    ¡°Been a while since I did that,¡± she mumbled, a satisfied smirk gracing her lips. Her sleeping position was informed by what lay on the table before her. Three satchels filled to the brim with cacao beans, ready for casting. She had three pockets in her jacket so she¡¯d be armed with plenty of deadly lightning should she need it. Ideally, she¡¯d pull most of her necessary seed craft from pick-ups around her.

    The nature element furrowed her brow. ¡°Pick up seed craft huh,¡± she muttered. While she ruminated, her gaze drifted around the cabin. It was dark, still the dead of night. Natacha was utilizing her bed, fast asleep as Holly had suspected.

    Her words from earlier stuck in the zalavan¡¯s mind. ¡°The lucky ones¡­¡± Holly repeatedly softly.

    It weighed on her, bothering the little plant girl greatly. ¡°Uhg,¡± she breathed out. Grabbing a pouch of beans, she headed for the door. ¡°I¡¯ll be back,¡± she whispered to the sleeping bird.

    The forest was cool, not cold, not hot, but just right. It was a lot like Inverna, except the big difference was the very slight breeze that rustled the trees every so often. The humidity that hung in the air was also somewhat appreciated for how different it felt to her.

    These factors together really made her jaunt through the pitch-black woods all the more enjoyable. As she walked, she could sense the abundant rhythm around her. It did make her wonder if non-zalavan Resonators could behold the beauty of the forest as her people could. That line of thinking inspired another branch ¨C why were her people confined to an underground cave?

    Surely her mother would love walking amongst the trees like this? It felt¡­ good.

    The good times weren¡¯t there to stay, however, as a new sensation hit the little berry tree. ¡°What the heck..?¡± Holly¡¯s breath hitched. There was this feeling in her chest ¨C a tightness that gripped her. Anxiety? Yes, she was definitely anxious. But what was inspiring this feeling?

    There was nothing around. The thick canopy of the forest above her didn¡¯t help, with all moonlight blocked by the thick foliage. ¡°Scherzando are silent. They don¡¯t move the leaves,¡± she recited, her eyes glowing a vibrant yellow as she processed her situation logically.

    Light, she needed light. Thankfully she had about fiftyish seeds that could aid her in her time of need. Pulling one of the beans out she drained it of its rhythm, channeling the lightning magic into her body.

    ¡°Aria Carcia, Presto.¡± She didn¡¯t need to verbalize the spell to cast it, but hearing her own voice helped calm her nerves ever so slightly.

    Her hands began to glow, light pouring from her palms. ¡°Alright, where are you?¡± she breathed. One palm was used as a flashlight, casting luminance out into the dark woods. Her other hand remained gripped tightly around her precious satchel of beans.

    All the knowledge in the world couldn¡¯t have prepared her for what her light eventually revealed.

    Living in Inverna all her life, Holly had never seen a Scherzando in person, and it was just as terrifying as the books had described. Her rhythm raced with a deep, primordial fear as soon as she laid eyes upon its form. It looked innocuous enough, even with its shadowy guise she could sense their element like any other Resonator. The quadruped radiated a spiritual humidity ¨C did that mean it was a water element?

    It took everything in what little willpower Holly had to not utter a cry. The same couldn¡¯t be said for the quadruped that stared back. The most horrifying thing about the beast was how it was absolutely silent. No matter how much it crept through the underbrush it did not disturb the world with sound. It was dead quiet; it didn''t even seem to breathe. She had always read in stories how scary Scherzando could be - their ruthlessness, their bloodlust, and it was plain to see why.

    The stare-down was tense. Plant versus beast. In any other context, the beast would win without question, but Holly had thorns.

    The Scherzando jumped, its powerful legs allowing it to easily clear the distance between itself and the little zalavan.

    And she froze. For the mind she prided herself on, it returned nothing. The one time in her entire short life that she needed it ¨C it failed her. The beast was constructed with shadows, but the shadows bore weight and she was taken to the ground, her shoulders crushed underfoot.

    It went for the neck, shadowy fangs racing towards her windpipe with deadly efficiency.

    ¡°Corteccia Armatura!¡± she screamed. A two-berry cost spell, she used four. In that instant her body was covered in a thick bark, halting the beast¡¯s attack. Only briefly. The instant wood armor she had donned began to crack, the horrible splintering reminding her she only had seconds to figure herself out. In all the chaos, in all the commotion, she managed to keep ahold of her precious precious beans. There was no time to deliberate.

    ¡°Corrente Elettrica, Fortissimo!¡± Four cacao beans offered themselves up in service of the zalavan. Right when the Scherzando broke through the wood shell, it met lightning. The bolt rend the beast in twain and its form evaporated in an instant, leaving its victim with her life.

    Holly shook off the remaining bark armor and ran. She had no idea where she was going, but she ran. She had to stay on the move. She probably couldn¡¯t outrun another Scherzando like that one, but her berries were gone and she had forty-five cacao to her name at the moment. If they kept coming at her like that first one did, that number would hit zero before not too long.

    For her sanity¡¯s sake, she was smarter than she gave herself credit for ¨C the little log cabin was just in sight.

    It was never that easy.

    Her eyes bulged out as the wind rapidly evacuated her lungs. A pillar of ice straight to the gut swept her off her feet as she was thrown a distance away from the safety of the cabin. Her precious beans were knocked free from her grasp at the force of the impact.

    Tears streamed down her cheeks as she sputtered and wheezed, struggling to regain her breath. Another scherzando approached, the same slender shape as the one she had defeated earlier. Four powerful legs, a long thin tail, and two triangular ears atop its deadly head; this was the beast that would be her unmaking.

    This was the price of freedom.

    Why then, in all the silence of the forest did the crackle of electricity grace the zalavan¡¯s hearing?

    CRACK BOOM!

    The horrible noise bathed Holly in light.

 Chapter 7

    One, two.

    It was no surprise to Holly that she didn¡¯t sleep well; her body thought so, only restoring two of the four berries she had lost the night before.

    It was now morning and the zalavan was alone in the log cabin with her thoughts.

    She had nearly thrown away her life last night. Or at least that¡¯s how Natacha had put it.

    The dramatic rescue was something she had only thought possible in story books. A roar of thunder strikes down the gathering darkness, and the hero descends from above to cleanse the world from evil and save the damsel (Holly) from distress.

    ¡°I¡¯m not bitter,¡± Holly huffed. In truth, the little berry tree bristled up at the memories of her scolding by the bird.

    ¡°You stupid moron!¡±

    ¡°What did you think you were doing?!¡±

    ¡°You think this is a game?!¡±

    The chastising went on for what felt like hours. Even her mother hadn¡¯t ever given her such intense admonishment.

    Yeah, she messed up, Holly knew that much.

    Yeah, she wasn¡¯t invincible, Holly was also aware of that fact.

    Yeah, she could have died, Holly was acutely cognizant of her mortality.

    But even if Natacha had very fair and valid points, did she have to be such a bitch about it?

    Grousing to herself wouldn¡¯t solve any of her issues. What remained was fact ¨C if Natacha hadn¡¯t been awake at that exact time last night, Holly would have died. It was as simple as that.

    With that in mind, there was only one thing to do ¨C analysis. What went wrong?

    The Scherzando actually weren¡¯t too difficult to deal with using magic. Dare she excite the wish sage? Holly considered the Scherzando pushovers.

    No, the crux of the issue was the element of surprise; which the Scherzando were masters of, and she had the unfortunate displeasure of experiencing last night. They could be anywhere at any time as long as the sun was set. In a dense forest like this one, that gave them all of the advantage and left none for Holly.

    ¡°Seems like I¡¯m a day walker then,¡± Holly sighed. She furrowed her brows. Issue point number two: she had no idea where any civilization was. She had run away from the road, the only trace of non-zalavan society she knew of.

    Happening upon this little cottage in the dense rainforest was pure coincidence.

    What was worse was any trust she had garnered in Natacha¡¯s appraisal of her capabilities had been thoroughly uprooted last night.

    The mask came with downsides. Yet-

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake.¡±

    ¡°Good morning, Miss Natacha!¡±

    It snapped to her face like a magnet, even if she wanted to drop it.

    <hr>

    And then Holly had a curfew.

    This was getting excessive. Holly barely knew this bird woman, and yet she was getting fawned over like one of her saplings. Was it pity? Who knows?

    Either way, Holly needed to practice and she didn¡¯t feel comfortable enough casting spells around Natacha to do it near the cottage. For that, Holly made her way into the woods. It also had the benefit of helping her become familiar with the area and possibly scout new seeds for her to add to her collection.

    The vast majority around were basic seeds ¨C those that granted wood and plant-based magic. While good to know they were around, it didn¡¯t help her in the variety department. She had an entire library¡¯s worth of spells in her head that remained trapped as long as she lacked the ability to tap into the other aspects of elemental casting.

    ¡°Aha, here we go.¡±

    A particular flower tickled her fancy. A vibrant one with long blue filaments extending from the flower¡¯s corona. The reddish-brown stamen stuck out in a vivid display for all to see. Greens splashed the petals and even the underlying structures.

    It was not the flower that drew the zalavan¡¯s interest, but the orange orbs that graced the plant.

    ¡°Perfect. This is exactly what I need,¡± Holly grinned widely, grabbing as many of the fruits as she could carry.

    <hr>

    ¡°What do you got there?¡± asked Natacha, as Holly returned, arms full of small orange fruits.

    ¡°Passionfruit! Mom says they¡¯re good for making teas. I want their seeds for my collection,¡± Holly told the bird as she got to work cutting open the fruits as she had done with the day prior¡¯s cacao.

    The meat around the prized seeds was kind of bland in the girl¡¯s opinion. It wasn¡¯t her first choice of edible fruits. The cacao meat from yesterday was a much better treat.

    With a ¡°have fun,¡± Natacha left her alone in the cabin.

    As soon as she was confident she had been truly left to her own devices, Holly spun the knife around and slicked the side of her wrist with the sharp edge. She allowed a moment for the sickly red to gather at the injury site.

    With a couple of newly freed passionfruit seeds, Holly channeled their power.

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    ¡°La Bella Vita, Adagio,¡± came the mental chant.

    She glowed with warm, healing energy and the magic sped up the recovery process until her self-inflicted transgression was erased from the records.

    ¡°Healing and electricity magic. Not a bad start if I do say so myself,¡± Holly grinned with self-satisfaction. However, a new problem was posed ¨C she had plenty of the two seed types, as well as her four shots of nature element magic. But what should she look for next? Ideally, she wanted to replenish her collection and¡­

    ¡°We¡¯re set for life if we can get her and these apple seeds back to Mr. Noel!¡±

    ¡°The Grand Malus is one who grows apples, which are said to be the most powerful of all fruits. The zalavan''s greatest treasure.¡±

    Holly stiffened, lowering her head at that thought. She couldn¡¯t claim to be the most loyal to Inverna. She had always planned on leaving when she worked up the willpower. But there was something about the idea that those men stole apple seeds from her people that got under her roots.

    It was a terrible idea, but she wanted back at them. Pay them back for her kidnapping and rough treatment, and to reclaim her people¡¯s treasure.

    The zalavan leaned back in her borrowed chair. They must be looking for her still. Based on how roughed up they were when they broke into Inverna it must not have been easy to get into. She could vaguely recall they went down a mountain trail. But¡­

    ¡°Wait¡­ what roughed them up then? That trail almost felt traveled¡­¡± she realized.

    Before she had considered the idea of trade with the outside world. Inverna had books from the other parts of Riterra as well as goods that couldn¡¯t have been produced in the little city. Some entity traded with Inverna, that much was a concrete fact.

    ¡°Hrm¡­¡± Her memories of before the truck were hazy. Well, that wasn¡¯t right ¨C she just hadn¡¯t focused on anything that helped her piece together this puzzle. The majesty of the unfiltered night sky, all the beautiful trees, the path itself. It was all so new and enrapturing at the time she was distracted to put it lightly.

    ¡°Damn it, Holly,¡± she cursed. Shaking her head, she leaned forward and resumed work on freeing the passionfruit seeds. ¡°A mystery for another day I suppose,¡± she mumbled.

    <hr>

    Seed sowing didn''t take all day, as such Holly had plenty of idle time. This was practically a crime. And so that was how Holly ended up standing outside the little cabin, sorting through her seeds. Natacha was thankfully off¡­ somewhere, so Holly wouldn''t be bothered while she turned her theoretical knowledge into practical experience.

    ¡°Preschiver¨°!¡± called the nature element. Three cacao offered their rhythm for this exercise. For a moment the zalavan¡¯s body felt weightless. She had become electricity! Though the effect lasted only briefly.

    The feeling of her mass returning from a state of pure energy was strange, to put it lightly. She stumbled once her weight returned. ¡°Okay, that was weird,¡± she mumbled.

    It was a useful effect. Well, there was something she wanted to try first to make sure. Three more cacao beans were sacrificed for ¡°Preschiver¨°!¡±

    This time, rather than remaining stationary, Holly moved while she was electricity. ¡°Ah! What?!¡± She had moved a lot further than she had intended. ¡°A spot dodge could be useful,¡± she mused.

    The events of last night replayed in her mind; being pinned to the ground like a prey item. Some carnivorous plant she was. That was one thing books could never prepare her for ¨C real combat. Her mind totally blanked when faced with actual danger. Knowing every spell in the world wouldn¡¯t help her if when it mattered most, she couldn''t remember one.

    ¡°How do I fix this?¡± she wondered.

    It was at that moment the answer came fluttering down from above. ¡°It¡¯s almost time to go inside,¡± Natacha said, her voice firm. There was a tense moment where Holly stared at the much taller bird woman. Natacha opened her mouth, but Holly was faster.

    ¡°Teach me how to fight!¡± the innocent little zalavan demanded.

    ¡°E-excuse me?¡± Natacha uttered, flinching at the sudden heartfelt request.

    ¡°I want to try to find my way home but if I get lost at night I¡¯ll run into those things again, so Miss Natacha should teach me how to fight,¡± Holly laid out.

    Though part of her rationale was twisted, there was a grain of truth to it. Natacha¡¯s performance last night was breathtaking ¨C there was no fear, no hesitation. Even without a Maestro she still could fight. If Holly could get those skills with her ability to cast spells on her own then she¡¯d never have to fear the night again.

    Now the only hurdle was convincing the bird that this was for the best. Natacha studied the little sprout child, humming deeply as her scrutinous gaze attempted to wilt her.

    ¡°Fine. Don¡¯t expect much though,¡± Natacha warned.

    ¡°Oh, thank you, Miss Natacha!¡± Holly jumped and hugged the bird woman¡¯s waist tightly.

    ¡°Get off!¡± shouted the lightning element, trying to pry the clingy girl from her hips.

 Chapter 8

    Late afternoon was settling in the woods, but that didn¡¯t stop the training session Holly requested. Natacha stood at attention, towering over the tiny plant girl.

    ¡°When fighting anyone, whether it¡¯s Scherzando or Resonators, the most important thing you can be is aware. Not just of what you¡¯re fighting but everything around you. Scherzando especially don¡¯t care about being fair, and neither should you,¡± Natacha began.

    Holly nodded. That tracked with her experience last night. Scherzando were opportunistic predators that would use everything in their arsenals to get their food: her. Perhaps the same thought could be applied to Maestros and their Resonators¡­

    ¡°What do you mean everything around me?¡± asked Holly. She had an idea but wanted to keep the conversation going.

    ¡°Trees, buildings, stuff laying on the ground. You should commit anything that¡¯s around you to memory while you¡¯re fighting. Not only so you don¡¯t trip or lose your balance but they can be a momentary distraction or hiding place from a spell. In a dense forest like this you shouldn¡¯t linger in one spot for long ¨C keep moving. Otherwise, the Scherzando hiding in the trees will get the jump on you,¡± lectured Natacha.

    The bird thrust her wings out, allowing Holly to appreciate just how expansive her wingspan was. ¡°Let¡¯s practice. You¡¯re going to run into the woods, and I¡¯m going to be the Scherzando. If I touch you, you lose,¡± said the bird.

    ¡°Oh, like a game of tag?¡± The little nature element lit up at the concept.

    ¡°Sure.¡± The grin that graced the bird¡¯s lips was beyond sinister. ¡°A game.¡± The chuckle that followed didn¡¯t help assuage the bone-chilling fear that suddenly settled in Holly¡¯s heart.

    ¡°You have two minutes, and then the ¡®game¡¯ will begin. Come at me like a Scherzando ¨C use anything in your arsenal, or I¡¯ll make you regret it.¡±

    Holly gulped but nodded. Her warning imparted, the bird took off into the trees with an impressive beat of her wings. The silent timer started and the zalavan took off into the forest, keeping her eyes peeled for signs of danger. It was quiet, only the crunching of the underbrush beneath her feet kept her company.

    The light of the waning sun that poked through the canopy was nice and comforting, but she couldn¡¯t allow herself to get complacent. Scherzando were opportunists, any distraction would-

    THWACK!

    Against her will, Holly met the ground in a stunning fashion, sliding from the force of an impact she hadn''t expected. It wasn¡¯t just the fist that whipped across Holly¡¯s face that hurt, it was joined by an electrical charge that coursed through her body.

    The zalavan scrambled to her feet, tears pouring down her cheeks.

    ¡°You¡¯re dead!¡± Natacha called from the canopy, having hit and run.

    The speed of the strike was unreal. Holly didn¡¯t even see the woman. All she had was a sore face from the force of the blow.

    She wasn¡¯t about to continue this exercise with a headache.

    ¡°La Bella Vita, Moderato,¡± chanted Holly mentally, as three passionfruit seeds eased her ailing face.

    Even with the pain gone, her heart refused to still. This wasn¡¯t fair!

    That¡¯s why it was effective¡­ Scherzando wouldn¡¯t be fair. They could be on top of her that quick, and would actually kill her.

    She shuffled her seeds in her pockets and took three cacaos into her palm.

    Holly wasn¡¯t going to get hit again. The nature element kept on the move, keeping her eyes and ears out for any sign of trouble. She crept through the underbrush, trying to minimize the noise she made to not pollute the soundscape with her movements. It was a much more difficult task than she had initially thought, but after testing a few different gaits, she found a balance between speed and sound.

    With her own minimized presence, she was able to keep a better ear out for a distinctive wingbeat ¨C Natacha was flying around, that much was obvious. And if Holly focused just right¡­

    ¡­she could hear it! With a mental ¡°preschiver¨°,¡± the zalavan let loose the lightning element support spell, dodging out of the way of the bird¡¯s mighty strike utilizing her brief intangibility granted by by the spell. Unfortunately for Holly-

    THWACK!

    -she once again met the forest floor. This time thanks to a timely kick offered by Natacha right as Holly became tangible again.

    ¡°Owie¡­¡± Holly whimpered, rubbing her bloody nose.

    ¡°You¡¯re dead again.¡± Natacha was already gone, her voice lingering like a specter.

    Another La Bella Vita in Moderato, chased away Holly¡¯s pain, allowing her to breathe from her nose once more. This sucked. This sucked so much. Why was she even doing this?

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    Knowledge, of course. She needed to know how to fight. If not just to defend herself, but to sate her lust for learning. That¡¯s just who she was ¨C the pursuit of wisdom was an immutable aspect of her personality.

    So, she rose once again. She didn¡¯t want a repeat of the last two engagements. Getting struck hurt and Natacha was making sure to pump whatever lightning skill she had into each blow. It wasn¡¯t a spell like with Holly¡¯s seed craft; it was some other innate trait of her species or maybe her element? Holly couldn¡¯t be sure; she just didn¡¯t know much about other Resonators outside of her own species.

    A gap that needed to be filled.

    Holly shook her head. Now wasn¡¯t the time to get lost in thought!

    The bird of prey swooped down again, Holly only dodging the attempted blow by a mere blade of grass. She rolled into a bush, taking hold of it. ¡°Nature spells! Good enough!¡± Holly cried out. At the speed of thought, she chanted her next spell ¨C ¡°Rullante di Radice, Fortissimo!¡±

    As Natacha tried to throw another devastating kick into the bush, thorned roots shot out, ensnaring the bird.

    ¡°Guh!¡±

    Finally! She did it! Holly caught her!

    Or did she? Even through the bindings and piercing thorns, Natacha moved, easily plucking Holly from the bush. The entire time jolts of electricity coursed through the zalavan. Holly didn¡¯t even struggle, she was locked up with fright. The bloody bird glared with killing intent.

    ¡°You¡¯re-¡± Natacha pulled a fist back. Holly closed her eyes ¨C the only movement she could get out of her fear-addled body. ¡°-dead.¡±

    <hr>

    Holly returned to the waking world and instantly regretted it. Her head pounded fiercely from the multiple blows she had suffered during her ¡°training¡± earlier.

    She didn¡¯t even remember returning to the cabin. Or being set in bed for that matter.

    Thankfully Natacha was a gracious enough teacher to let her protege wake up in comfort rather than sprawled out on the forest floor. That one punch must have knocked Holly clean out. The throbbing protest in her skull certainly was evidence enough of the outcome.

    Headaches were the one thing Holly truly despised. As she prized her thoughts, she hated it when her thinking machine rebelled against her through physical stimuli.

    One, two, three, four, five ¨C she counted off passion fruit seeds. ¡°La Bella Vita, Lento.¡± It was probably overkill to use the maximum level of the healing spell, but she cared not, that was simply how much she didn¡¯t want to deal with the headache. Her entire body glowed as the full force of healing magic washed over her.

    With her head cleared, she could finally take stock of that disastrous performance.

    Natacha was cheating.

    Yup, that had to be it.

    Definitely not any shortcomings on Holly¡¯s part.

    The zalavan chuckled hollowly, curling up on herself in the bed. Who was she kidding? She sucked. Plain and simple. Maybe she wasn¡¯t cut out for this world after all. Everyone and everything was out to get her. It was probably best for her to go back home after all¡­

    As she drifted back into the dark, Holly¡¯s mind swirled with doubt. Even leaving Inverna for less than a week she¡¯d experienced more pain and suffering in that minuscule slice of time than she had ever felt in her whole life. She felt¡­

    ¡­alive?

    Her eyes snapped open.

    Of course she felt alive! Learning to fight was something NEW. It hurt, it was hard, it CHALLENGED her. The smile on her lips, the deep breaths she drew, the giggle fit that took over; she wanted to cry from joy. Weak willpower be damned, the rhythm in her eyes glowed a bright blazing yellow.

    Holly wanted to know MORE!

    She sprang from the bed, spurned by the rhythm boiling in her little body. It was night, but even so she could think, she could strategize. Her memory was fantastic, and she recalled every spell she currently had access to.

    Nature

    Electricity

    Healing

    To a normal Resonator, they could only carry two, maybe three aspects of magic, but for a zalavan, she was only as limited as much as she could physically carry seeds and how fast she could take hold of them. Though¡­ there was one more thing Holly wanted to try.

    It was something she could never attempt back home.

    It''d promote too many questions.

    Draw too much attention.

    But Holly was free ¨C her body was hers to do with as she pleased. The only questions she¡¯d field would be ¡°how?¡±

 Chapter 9

    ¡°Miss Natacha! Can we play again?¡± asked Holly the next morning.

    Natacha raised a brow. Something was off about the zalavan. She had expected the little plant girl to be cowering and afraid after the rough beating she was dealt yesterday.

    Not only was she back up and full of her usual pep but the only physical difference today was Holly¡¯s hood was up.

    ¡°Are you sure? I¡¯m not going to hold back if that¡¯s what you¡¯re hoping for,¡± warned Natacha.

    ¡°Were you yesterday?¡± questioned Holly.

    Natacha smirked. ¡°Care to find out?¡±

    Holly beamed brightly, her usual innocence shining right alongside the morning sun. ¡°I like surprises!¡± she cheered.

    ¡°Very well, two minutes.¡± Natacha extended her wings, just as she had done yesterday, and took off into the trees.

    The zalavan chuckled. ¡°I hope you like surprises too, Miss Natacha,¡± muttered Holly in her true voice, making her way into the woods.

    Even if it was a repeat of yesterday¡¯s exercise, Holly still didn¡¯t want to get hit. Natacha did not know how to pull her punches, that much was obvious. The roots of Rullante di Radice did nothing to stop the runaway truck of a Resonator either. The little zalavan pulled her hood down further, she didn¡¯t want to play her hand too soon.

    She stopped next to a tree, struggling to catch her breath. Maybe that was something she should have worked on before she ever considered an expedition out of Inverna ¨C her physical stamina. All the spells in the world meant nothing if movement options were limited by her muscles (or lack thereof).

    The little plant girl took a breath, and in that moment, the predator swooped down from above. ¡°Linfa Appiccicosa, Mosso!¡± Holly cried as she pushed off the tree. Natacha missed by a blade of grass, but Holly wasn¡¯t done, she spun around and slammed the full force of her body into the bird, pinning her against a tree.

    ¡°You¡¯re dead!¡± Natacha shouted, coating her body in electricity.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not!¡± Holly sang. The force of pinning the bird to the tree had knocked her hood off. Where red berries once hung now two cacao were sprouted.

    Holly beamed brightly as the electricity coursed through her to no effect.

    ¡°You can grow other plants¡­¡± realized the bird. ¡°And now you¡¯re a lightning element.¡±

    ¡°I read it in a book once and wanted to try it,¡± Holly replied innocently. It was the truth and worked far better than she had hoped. The books didn¡¯t say she¡¯d gain the element of the plant growing. It was a useful trait, but a borrowed one. She hopped back, leaving Natacha against the tree.

    ¡°Cute trick but-¡± Natatcha tried to take off again, but found her wings refused to obey. ¡°What the-¡±

    ¡°Oh, that tree is kinda sticky. I should have warned you, sorry Miss Natacha!¡± Holly falsely fretted. In her mind though, she wore the biggest shit-eating grin. She placed a hand on another tree, borrowing five of the seeds at the crown of the trunk.

    ¡°Colpo di Vite, Fortissimo.¡± The carnivorous plant licked her lips as a thick green vine materialized in her grasp. She cracked it like a whip, the distinctive snap echoing through the woods. With a twirl, she sent the loose stem towards Natacha, ready to inflict some much-deserved revenge.

    However, Holly never learned revenge was a route to destruction, her undoing. In her haste, she failed to realize one very important thing.

    ¡°I still have arms.¡± Natacha held the whip in place, its kinetic payload totally negated in one move.

    ¡°Uh-oh,¡± was all Holly managed to utter.

    The lightning element yanked the zalavan forward. It all happened so quickly, that Holly didn¡¯t have time to even consider letting go. Where did it all go wrong? She didn¡¯t have the luxury of considering an exit strategy as her face was rapidly hurtling towards Natacha¡¯s swung fist.

    THWACK!

    That was gonna suck later.

    <hr>

    ¡°I really gotta stop waking up like this,¡± mumbled Holly, the vexation oozing from her voice. It was afternoon and she was once again alone. Her head pounded, though her nose wasn¡¯t broken like she had assumed it would be given how readily her face had accepted the meteor of a fist hours prior. ¡°Hrmph.¡± No matter, she still had passionfruit seeds to her name, so she capitalized.

    One La Bella Vita later and she was in pain no longer. That left one more nagging issue: hunger. At least there was stew. Only stew. By this point, Holly had memorized where all the utensils were kept, so she made herself an afternoon snack.

    She looked out the open window. Thick, dark clouds were moving in. A rumble of thunder informed of the impending storm. ¡°Hm, should be interesting,¡± she mused to herself. Something to watch later. For now, it was food time. The little zalavan plopped herself down on the edge of the bed and got comfy while she blew off the first spoonful of stew to get it to a reasonable temperature.

    While she ate, she committed to another root cause analysis session to analyze her recent failure.

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Problem: I got my shit rocked.

    Why?

    Natacha punched me.

    Why?

    She grabbed my Colpo di Vite.

    Why?

    Her hands were free.

    Why?

    I assumed she was restrained.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± The answer to her disastrous performance came to light. She set her spoon down against the rim of her bowl. ¡°I assumed¡­¡± She furrowed her brow as she ruminated on that thought.

    Holly hadn¡¯t been out of Inverna for long, but she was already getting complacent. ¡°I need to get out of here. See more Resonators, learn more,¡± she decided. There were no illusions in her mind that she would be the best fighter or anything like that, but she had to see them ¨C Maestros. Her only experience with one wasn¡¯t a good test of what they were really like. Books did them no justice either, as many things she had already experienced in her limited time free from the shackles of her birthplace.

    This brought her to another problem.

    ¡°Still don¡¯t know where the hell I am,¡± she mumbled, studying the remaining stew as if to scry a map from the cooked meat and veggies. Unfortunately for the little zalavan, they provided no such information.

    The door opened, snapping Holly from her deep thoughts.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake,¡± noted the bird, before making her way to her cauldron to check on the ever-boiling soup.

    ¡°Miss Natacha, are there cities around here?¡± Holly asked.

    The lightning elemental stiffened. ¡°Yeah. Why?¡±

    ¡°I want to try to find my way home, but I need to go to a city to do that,¡± Holly said, her usual false naivet¨¦ in full effect.

    ¡°Doubtful. Your people are well hidden. If you don¡¯t even know what direction you came from you have no hope of finding your way home.¡±

    ¡°Well, I do remember the bad men took me out of the cave and we were really really high up. I could see the tippy tops of the trees!¡± The memory earned a genuine smile from the girl, she wished she had the opportunity to view that vista again during the day.

    Natacha gave a short, pitying snort. ¡°Do you know how many mountains are in Selvica?¡± asked the bird.

    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Holly did recall looking at a map of her home continent at one point, but couldn¡¯t remember any specifics. ¡°Dunno, how many?¡±

    ¡°Over 850.¡±

    That was quite a few, a lot even. Now how in the world was she going to lie her way out of this one? ¡°I¡¯ll just have to check them all then!¡± The brute force method, Holly decided.

    ¡°Idiot!¡± Natacha whipped around; the wrath palpable in her voice. The sudden intensity in tone made Holly''s heart seize up as her breath was caught in her throat. This wasn''t like when they were practicing. The temper from the bird hit Holly in just the right way to make an unpleasant association in her mind, one buried deep. A core memory overlaid atop the present day, and what Natacha said next only solidified the connection to the past: ¡°Who do you think you are?!¡± The furious scowl the bird wore made her seem much bigger than Holly remembered.

    The little zalavan tried to keep her composure, but it broke as soon as Natacha moved her arm. She couldn''t be sure of the bird''s intentions, but instinct took over. With her flight reflex fully activated, Holly tapped into the cacao on her head. In an instant, she was out the window. The bowl of stew she had been holding splattered all over the ground. Not that she was a witness to the mess she caused ¨C one Preschiver¨° had her standing outside of the cabin, the twin fruits on her head burnt away along with her borrowed affinity for lightning.

    However, Holly was not focused on that, but on her own breathing. Her short, panicked breaths, the tears in her eyes. She didn¡¯t see the firm, but ultimately kind bird at that moment. Repressed memories reared their ugly head. She gripped her chest as Natacha¡¯s confused gaze studied the panicked Resonator now outside her house.

    Holly shook her head slowly, stepping back with timidity, before she turned and darted into the woods full sprint. A trail of tears washed behind her as she escaped with even greater haste than she had ever pushed her body before.

    She ran and ran. She had left some of the seed satchels she made back there, but she still had one with a healthy mix of cacao beans and passionfruit seeds. Specters of an enraged visage directed at her. Holly yelped in fright at the imagined rage and picked up her pace further.

    ¡°Yes! I¡¯m an idiot! Is that what you want to hear?!¡± Holly screamed to an audience of none. ¡°I won¡¯t bother you more! Please have mercy!¡± Though the woods were empty of any pursuers.

    She ran and ran and ran, weaving through the trees at a clip previously thought impossible for the young girl. It all came crashing down as she hooked her foot on a root and slammed face-first into the forest floor.

    The zalavan trembled, unable to ebb the flow of tears that spilled. A combination of pain and fear wracked her body. ¡°I¡¯m a stupid fucking idiot. I¡¯m a stupid liar¡­¡± she sobbed.

    A balled-up fist struck the ground. ¡°Stupid stupid stupid¡­¡± whimpered the girl as the clouds finally opened up and the storm began.