《Leonora's Last Champion》


 B1 Chapter 1 - A Fresh Start

    My head ached. Opening my eyes, I noticed I was in a field of some kind. Was this some kind of prank? It wouldn''t be the first time my brothers did something like this. I got to my feet to take a look around.


    It was more far to say I was in a clearing in a forest and not meadow or anything. The air was exceptionally fresh, to the point it was taking me off guard. My phone displayed 9PM. Huh. But it was daylight. I guess someone could have switched the timezone or something. No service. Huh. This was...


    I turned to find two bags and a book on a strap next to me. A quick peek inside revealed one was filled with water bottles, bananas and apples. The other was filled with my fathers laptop and radios, and other various stuff he took camping. None of it turned off, so all dead batteries. For the first moment a ping of fear hit me. My brothers were jerks but they wouldn''t prank me with dad''s stuff. I wasn''t sure what to expect in this situation.


    I sat back next to the tree. There wasn¡¯t much of a point in wasting energy. The first rule of being lost was to wait. People are looking for me, and moving would only make finding them harder. Plus I had enough food for a day or two at the very least. I opened the book strap. It was leather and made to tie off to my belt. That would be useful for transport at least.


    The book was refined, the kind of book you¡¯d expect to see in something like the old temple or church. Strange letters carved into it and it had a white crystal at the center of it. Opening it though just revealed a bunch of blank pages. They felt more like parchment than normal paper and at the end of the book was a fountain pen.


    Interesting. I set it down next to the bags and just tried to remain calm. It wasn¡¯t my birthday or Christmas. My brothers were the type to troll me before giving me something nice, but that wouldn¡¯t explain the bag and my dad wouldn¡¯t do anything like this. What was I doing?


    My memory was fuzzy at best. I remember it was getting colder, like we were in fall and I think everyone had a game or something. I remember I wanted to draw but that was it. The day or the week, or even the month felt like something I couldn¡¯t place. Perhaps retrograde amnesia? I felt my head for any pain or soreness but nothing.


    Hours passed with nothing but my thoughts and the slowly moving sun to keep me company. I decided it was time to eat a banana. It wasn¡¯t much but after hours, even something small was a great relief.


    ¡°Chu.¡±


    Huh? I thought I heard something. I looked around to check. Up to now I hadn¡¯t heard much of anything, so the distinct squeak noise caught my attention. Then I saw it, though I didn¡¯t want to believe it.


    A mouse, it looked like a normal common everyday mouse, except it¡¯s fur was pink. Well, mostly, it had a white underside but the fur on top was a bright pink. It tilted its tiny head as it sniffed the air. Oh, the banana? I broke off a little piece and gently set it nearby.


    Adorably it approached and then began biting into it.


    I grabbed the book, some small part of me was aware this was probably a terrible idea but I felt a sense of desire. I had been wanting to draw a mouse and I was incredibly bored. Taking the pen and book, I began sketching the mouse before me.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    I tried to imagine a story for her. I pictured her as a detective mouse, on her way back home after a big case but her rations were stolen by a pigeon, and in her hungry stupor, she found a human eating a banana.


    This wasn¡¯t my first time drawing on parchment, my father was a huge fan of actdoor stuff, so he had shown me how to make it before, but there was something almost fantastical about this. Sketching a mouse in an old time parchment book with a fancy pen in a clearing in the forest. It brought a smile to my face. I had always wanted to do something like this.


    Once the banana was gone, the mouse didn¡¯t stick around much longer but I had enough of my sketch. It took me a couple more hours but eventually I finished my sketch. I decided it would be worth giving her a name.


    Mina Nibbles, the Psychic Mouse Detective I wrote in the fanciest cursive I could manage. The moment I did, the page glowed a distinct blue color.


    What the heck, I thought, tossing the book and jumping back. The book still glowed blue, until the blue seemed to collect at the top and take on a form. Another mouse just appeared. It turned and faced me.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s rude,¡± a female voice rang out.


    ¡°What,¡± I said. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m right here,¡± the voice repeated. It was ominous. I couldn¡¯t place the voice, it felt like it was being whispered into my ear.


    ¡°Right where?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Here,¡± it echoed again.


    I looked down and noticed the mouse was waving its paw at me. ¡°You?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I still find your use of the term ¡®it¡¯ to be quite rude. I am a ¡®her¡¯ for your information.¡±


    Talking mouse? Am I going crazy? I am going crazy. That¡¯s the only explanation. Obviously. Why now? I guess maybe I have been going crazy for a while, hence me being lost in the forest.


    ¡°Are you listening to me? It would be damn proper of you to offer an apology,¡± she said.


    ¡°Uhm, oh. Sorry,¡± I said.


    ¡°What is your name,¡± she asked. ¡°I am Mina. Mina Nibbles.¡±


    ¡°What? Mina? The mouse detective?¡± I asked.


    She nodded her head. ¡°I see you know of me? But who are you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uhm. Theodore. Theodore Chapman,¡± I said.


    I walked over to the book, and picked it up. Opening the first page revealed nothing but a blue glow where my picture had once been. Huh.


    ¡°Everything alright Mr. Chapman?¡± Mina asked.


    ¡°Uh, I''m still trying to figure that out,¡± I said. ¡°Do you know anything about magic?¡±


    ¡°Well, obviously. I am using psychic magic right now,¡± she said. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    I sat down next to my bags. ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t know. This is all a bit too much for me.¡±


    She just stared at me from a few feet away. Magic mouse? Magic book? I¡­ I didn¡¯t think waiting was a smart idea anymore. For all I knew I was suffering from a kind of traumatic brain injury. I opened the pack with my dad¡¯s stuff. I was hoping for a compass.


    ¡°A compass would be a good idea,¡± she said.


    Wait. I didn¡¯t say that. Was she reading my mind? I thought while looking at her.


    ¡°Is that a problem? I am a psychic after all.¡±


    Hmm. Well, whatever. I pulled a compass out of my bag and looked around. The sun was moving towards the horizon, that alone should tell me that north should be to the right of the sun but then¡­ the compass needle. It pointed at the sun. What?


    ¡°I thought the sun sets in the west?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yeah, me too,¡± I said. This was strange. I paused and looked at the mouse. ¡°Any ideas Mina?¡±


    ¡°I saw we walk towards what the compass is pointing to,¡± she said. ¡°Logic would dictate that there is some sort of magnetic interference over there. Which could lead us to people, or if not, it would be nice to isolate why the compass doesn¡¯t seem to be working.¡±


    Good a plan as any I had. I strapped the book to my belt, and put my dads bag over my shoulders before slinging the water and food over my shoulder like a purse. It was a much heavier load than I wanted to carry but I sure as heck wasn¡¯t leaving anything behind. As long as I went slow. I should be fine.


    ¡°Mind if I tag along?¡± Mina asked.


    ¡°Sure,¡± I said.


    She climbed up my jeans and eventually made her way to my shoulder. I wasn¡¯t sure what was going on, but I might as well bring her.

 B1 Chapter 2 - Moonlight

    I¡¯m dying.


    ¡°What!¡± Mina shouted. Or kind of shouted. It was louder but is it fair to call her telepathy a shout?


    I didn¡¯t mean that literally Mina I am just not used to walking with this much stuff on me. I was kind of a wimp. My brothers could easily handle this. Heck even my sisters could. Considering my youngest sis was only eleven, I felt a bit embarrassed by that. I was her big brother after all.


    The only thing I was really good at was drawing. Which wasn¡¯t exactly anything to brag about. The cliche is a starving artist for a reason after all.


    ¡°Should we take a break?¡± Mina asked.


    No, I thought. If I stopped I was going to have trouble starting back up and we were near a hillside. Once up there we would hopefully have a much greater understanding of the local topography. After that we could make a more informed decision.


    Part of me knew I was being dumb. Working past your limits wasn¡¯t a good idea in this situation but I didn¡¯t care. I cared more about the information. The fleeting hope that on the other side of that hill was going to be a town and I would make it there, get a phone and all this would be over.


    It was a naive hope, but it was mine.


    As I was leaning against a tree, I couldn¡¯t help but notice how everything was just wrong. I didn¡¯t recognize any of the flora. It was green but what should have been American beak grain grass was less smooth than it should have been. The red columbine had a more jagged point like a paradise.


    I wasn¡¯t a plant expert by any means. I only know  some of the stuff my dad told me. I also remembered formal names more since it made it easier to look up references for drawing but I just couldn¡¯t help but conclude that this was one heck of a red flag. All the moral reason I wanted to reach the top of the hill. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    My body was drenched in sweat, my feet hurt and my breath was ragged but I did it. Looking down, I saw the glow of flames. Campfires! Yes! Humans.


    ¡°Wait! Theodore,¡± Mina said. ¡°You need rest. Allow me to go in your place. I am a detective after all.¡±


    I was struggling to breathe. I could hardly fault her. ¡°Okay. Be careful.¡±


    ¡°I know. It seems we are hardly in Kansas anymore.¡±


    My eyes shot open. That¡¯s right. I looked around. Hills and mountains could be seen to the north. Kansas was known for its flatness. I guess I didn¡¯t notice before because of the forest. I clenched my firsts and tried to steady my breathing. I can¡¯t panic. It is too early to panic, I told myself. I could just be in another state.


    Mina ran off and I silently wished her luck as I collapsed into the ground. Then the tears filled my eyes at what I saw. Moonlight.


    More than just any moonlight though. Three different shades of it. A large red one that was full. A smaller blue one that was a crescent and finally a yellow one that was gibbous. Can¡¯t fake that. Can¡¯t see that in just another state. Only two options remained. Either I wasn¡¯t on Earth anymore or I was officially losing my mind.


    I couldn¡¯t actually tell you which I preferred to be the truth. In either case, the ultimate conclusion was incredibly depressing. If there was any sort of redeeming factor to all this. It was the mix of light among the clouds. So beautiful, especially with the slowly darkening skies as the sun dropped further beyond the horizon.


    I wanted to draw it, but my muscle fatigue stopped me. Probably for the best, the only thing I had to draw on was the special book and last time I drew on it, the thing I drew came out of it. A moon coming out of it sounded like a nightmare scenario. Though maybe it would be a moon the size of a baseball. Not worth the risk.


    Mom, I thought. I tried to remember the last time I saw her. Everything was so fuzzy still but I remember it was autumn. She was taking my brother¡¯s to their game. I was the only one that didn¡¯t go. Sports weren¡¯t really my thing. I was home alone. I remembered I wanted to draw something.


    Then I was here. How long has it been since then? Were you worried about me? I am sorry mom.

 B1 Chapter 3 - Refugees

    Mina came running up. ¡°Theodore! Theodore! Can you hear me!¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°We should hurry,¡± she said as she ran up my leg and quickly got up to my shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Hold on,¡± I said. ¡°What is happening?¡±


    ¡°They are refugees, traveling west to the land of Seiryu Teikoku, it is the closest country from here.¡±


    Seiryu Teikoku? I never heard of it. ¡°Why do we need to hurry?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Because, two groups of refugees are introducing themselves to each other right now,¡± she said.


    Oh. Got it. I grabbed my bags and began walking. Two different groups means that no one from either group would be aware of everyone else. This was my perfect chance to blend in. Shame, I was hoping running into people would end this whole adventure but it seemed unlikely if they were refugees.


    ¡°What did they look like?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Skin colour similar to yours but their clothes are much worse and they have horses drawing their wagons. The armed ones have swords and bows.¡±


    Swords and bows? Like something from middle ages Europe? I looked down at my clothes. Frick. No way was what I was wearing was going to blend into that crowd. But what choice did I have? If I wasn¡¯t on Earth I needed to make some sort of connection. I wasn¡¯t good enough to simply hunt for my own life.


    Not to mention, if I wasn¡¯t crazy and I was on another planet, however I got here could possibly be a way home. It was worth trying at the very least. And to do that, I needed friends, resources and information. I took a deep breath. Okay. Let¡¯s do this.


    ¡°You figure anything else out?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah, So two nations to the west are in military conflict but citizens from surrounding nations as well as the nations at conflict are traveling east. I estimate that the original group was about three hundred strong and the new group has about two hundred among their numbers.¡±


    ¡°Can you sneak back around? I need you to find information about which nation has the fewest people and what their name is,¡± I said.


    ¡°Sure thing, captain,¡± she said before running off again.


    At least I wasn¡¯t alone. Currently my plan was simple, if someone demanded to know where I was from, I needed to say something but it would be terrible if I kept meeting people from that location.


    Everyone seemed to be busy with one thing or another, so they didn¡¯t take notice of another face amongst their numbers. My clothes were a jarring difference but no one seemed to care for now at least. I¡¯ll take the simple wins I can get. The smell among the campsites was strong, they clearly weren¡¯t overly concerned with washing their clothes.


    A scent caught off guard, it was pleasant or somewhat pleasant. It is hard to describe any particular aroma mixed with sweat and shit as good but my growling stomach recognized it as food if nothing else. I hadn¡¯t any other things to push me forward, so food was as good as any other.


    Wandering, I found myself coming up to a woman. She was serving soup into a pot.


    ¡°Hey there, young man, you look hungry,¡± she said.


    My eyes widened. She spoke english? I wasn¡¯t really sure what I was prepared to do if she didn¡¯t. Maybe this was magic? Or another hint that I had lost my mind. Not that their-


    ¡°You waiting for something?¡± she asked again.


    ¡°Sorry, but I don¡¯t have anything in which to pay,¡± I said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember asking for anything,¡± she said. ¡°You look of skin and bones. So much so I was almost tempted to think you look like a girl. Eat. You will have trouble on the walk otherwise.¡±


    I bowed. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯m Aoi. I presume you are from the other refugees we met up with?¡± she asked.


    I nodded. ¡°Yes, I met up with you just today. My name is Theodore.¡±


    I suppose it wasn¡¯t a full lie. I did meet up with them today. I still felt bad about the deception but I could hardly afford to make an enemy so fast. I sat down with my bowl of soup. It certainly smelled good but the looks were another thing altogether. The¡­ meat? The tougher piece of material within it was purple.


    Nothing good would come of being squeamish now, so I took a sip of the soup. It was good! Sweet even. Like really sweet. It made me think that she used brown sugar in it. I carefully took a bite of the purple chunk and it pulled apart in the way I expected with meat. It was bland at best but that was good enough for me. I was thankful that it wasn¡¯t terrible.


    With the growing cold, the warm sweet soup in my belly was a welcomed change. Mina crawled up my leg. Oh darn. Maybe I should have saved some for her. Sorry, I thought.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    ¡°Pay it no mind, I am still happy from the banana,¡± she said.


    The banana? Wait, was she referencing the banana I gave that other field mouse? That-


    ¡°Other field mouse?¡± Mina said, looking at me. ¡°I was heading home after I finished a big case and a pigeon stole my rations. I thought I was going to starve before you gave me that banana. I am truly thankful.¡±


    I see, but that was-


    ¡°Who are you,¡± a strong baritone voice said. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you before. Where are you from?¡±


    Mina! Help. What is the nation I should say?


    ¡°Hikarigawa has the fewest of the two groups. I counted about ten in total,¡± she said. ¡°All of which were from the other group.¡±


    ¡°Hikarigawa,¡± I said nervously.


    ¡°Hmm, I see,¡±  he said. ¡°Name is Yuto, I am in charge of this entire trip. A well fed boy from the other group is going to be keeping watch tonight. I trust you can manage that?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± paused. ¡°I am not much of a fighter but I suppose as long as¡­ as long as that isn¡¯t an issue. I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°Yuto,¡± Aoi said. ¡°I was going to ask the boy to help me clean up.¡±


    ¡°Cleaning up is women''s work,¡± Yuto said before gesturing me to follow him. I did so immediately.


    I recognized his type. My father¡¯s friends were like this. Sexism and this ancient sense of gender roles at its finest. I knew nothing good would come from me not immediately complying. I only resisted mentioning my lack of being a fighter because no good would come from him relying on me as a warrior.


    Mina, I thought. Are all the names of people around here Japanese names?


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand?¡± she asked. ¡°What is Japanese?¡±


    Uh. How to explain. My name is Theodore Chapman. Notice how in Chapman we have both ¡°ch¡± and ¡°pm¡± next to each other. Japanese generally don''t do that. In general they alternate between vowels and consonants. All the names you have said so far do that. Do all of the names you have heard do that?


    ¡°Yes, Captain. They do,¡± she said. ¡°Is that bad?¡±


    No, I thought. Just interesting.


    ¡°Here we are,¡± Yuto said, as he pointed to a group of five people. Three boys and two girls.


    Strange. I thought he wasn¡¯t going to put girls on duty. Maybe he-


    ¡°Hina, and Hana, what do you think you are doing?¡± Yuto shouted. ¡°The boys aren¡¯t here to play. They are here to work. Go help Aoi with the dishes.¡±


    Okay. There it was.


    ¡°How about you go suck a rock,¡± one girl said.


    ¡°Hana!¡± Presumably Hina had shouted. ¡°That is rude.¡±


    ¡°So is his bullshit, we are just as capable as any boy,¡± Hana said in retort.


    ¡°I-¡±


    Someone shouted Yuto¡¯s name. It didn¡¯t seem like an emergency but he seemed to be distracted by the call to care as much anymore.


    ¡°Aki, if the girls are any trouble, send them away,¡± Yuto said before leaving.


    I sat down by the fire. The warmth was welcome. Looking around, two of the boys seemed to be preparing to sleep while the third seemed to be Aki, who was rubbing a cloth against a knife.


    ¡°Let me guess, two hour shifts?¡± I asked.


    Aki just nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather go first if it is all the same,¡± I said.


    ¡°Wake me in two hours then,¡± he said as he put his knife away.


    Hina and Hana both sat next to me. Oh crap. Well¡­ yeah still the better plan. I was way too tired. If I went to bed, I was going to be worthless before morning. If I was going to get a shift in, it was best for me to get the first shift in.


    ¡°Your shirt is so soft, is this like expensive cloth?¡± Hana asked me.


    ¡°Uhm, I don¡¯t think so. I am not really much of an expert on such things,¡± I said.


    ¡°Do you mind if I ask where you got it?¡± Hina asked.


    Crap, questions. I might have already made a mistake, come to think of it. Saying this wasn¡¯t expensive is probably only going to give off the impression that I am rich. I had to be a bit more elusive with my answers but I didn¡¯t want to directly lie. Lies get tangled.


    ¡°My mother got it for me, so I don¡¯t know the details,¡± I said.


    ¡°Got? As in paid for it?¡± Hana asked, her eyebrow raised.


    Dang it! Was clothing not normally bought in this world?  Well, nothing I could do about it now. If I did this badly. I would just have to use it to learn for later.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I said.


    ¡°So where are you from?¡± Hana asked.


    ¡°Hana!¡± Hina shouted again. ¡°I do apologize, my sister isn¡¯t too good at minding her manners.¡±


    I shrugged. I wasn¡¯t sure what to say. I guess I already told Yuto about being from Hikarigawa. No backing out now. ¡°I am from Hikarigawa.¡±


    Their eyes grew wide. I noticed now that they were making the same expression that they looked a lot alike. I¡¯d almost guess twins. They both had what seemed to be brown hair but the fire¡¯s orange glow made it hard to see the exact shade. They both had it cut to shoulder length. Classic tomboy look through and through.


    ¡°Really?¡± Hana said as she closed the distance a bit. ¡°Hikarigawa. Why would someone from there be traveling this far east?¡±


    ¡°It is, well, a private manner. I would appreciate you not to press for an answer,¡± I said.


    ¡°Wanna get married?¡± Hana asked.


    ¡°What?¡± I shouted as I stumbled backwards.


    She used the moment to climb on top of me and looked me in the eyes. ¡°Am I not pretty enough by Hikarigawa standards?¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± I shouted again.


    Hina pushed Hana in the side and she tumbled a bit in the nearby grass. ¡°Sorry about my sister,¡± she paused and looked at Hana. ¡°She is way too forward.¡±


    Hana stood up. ¡°What? He is cute,¡± she said looking at her sister. ¡°Plus Hikarigawa citizenship is a sweet prize given the current climate.¡±


    Ah. She wanted to be able to live in Hikarigawa. That made me a worthless marriage partner to her anyhow. Given that I was lying about that. Not that part mattered. How could she propose to some random person she just met!


    ¡°I can¡¯t accept,¡± I said. ¡°I could never marry someone I just met.¡±


    ¡°Is it because you''re a noble?¡± Hana asked.


    ¡°What?¡± I shouted even louder this time. Why would she think that?


    Hina punched Hana in the face. ¡°Don¡¯t be so crass! Are you trying to scare him off!¡±


    ¡°Captain,¡± Mina said. ¡°I¡¯m reading their minds. They think your expensive clothes and being from Hikarigawa means you are fleeing some sort of political persecution.¡±


    Ah. I see. Come to think of it. That wasn¡¯t an unreasonable theory. I wasn¡¯t a fighter or anything. Even the most generous estimate wouldn¡¯t give me the kind of impression you¡¯d expect from a commoner. My soft skin and frame definitely made more sense if you thought of me as a noble. I didn¡¯t want rumors like this spreading. I had to be direct.


    ¡°I am no noble, and I am no one worth marrying. I am barely seventeen years old. I have never even had a girlfriend. I thank you for the compliment of your words but please, forget about me in that light for now.¡±


    ¡°So polite!¡± Hina said with a bit of a squeak to her voice.


    Frick. I had a feeling I wasn¡¯t giving off the impression I wanted to. It is only my first night here. I can¡¯t expect myself to be perfect so fast. Why¡¯d it have to be me, I wondered. My brothers could have easily hunted and probably wouldn¡¯t have needed to make contact with a group like I did. They had much more masculine builds and rough hands. They would have had an easier time blending in if they needed too.


    It felt like, only me, little old Theodore was the worst at whatever was going on. I sighed. Figures I thought.

 B1 Chapter 4 - Spirits and Wolves

    Everything was shaking. What was-


    ¡°Wake up already,¡± someone said.


    I opened my eyes. ¡°I¡¯m up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going back to bed,¡± he said before laying back down by his bedroll.


    I yawned. The sun hadn¡¯t risen yet. I am guessing the official wake up time wasn¡¯t for another couple of hours. Wait, did that mean I got the shortest rest shift? I guess my shift was the only uninterrupted one. I guess it sort of balanced out.


    I looked around, I didn¡¯t see Mina though. I had grown a bit accustomed to her commentary. Perhaps she was still asleep, but where? I can¡¯t imagine she decided to go far. I actually considered it more likely she would have snuggled up next to me. Panic raced through me as I jumped up. I didn¡¯t roll over on her did I?


    No, she just wasn¡¯t anywhere. Part of me wanted to think that the talking mouse was just a fever dream, but I was still in the grasslands of wherever this was. Hina and Hana were just a few meters away. I know in your dreams, they somewhat feel realistic sometimes but this felt like it was that on a whole other level.


    I was way too stressed to properly think and with no one to distract me I figured it was best to draw. I opened the book but before I could even grab the pen, my jaw dropped. The drawing of Mina was back. No blue glow anywhere to be seen either. Did she¡­ get sucked back into the book?


    ¡°Mina!¡± I tried to whisper and shout at the same time. The book hummed in blue light just for a moment before returning to normal.


    Okay, this was clearly magic. Magic is real, that much was simple to accept, I found myself on an alien world with three moons for hecks sake. I wanted Mina back. How to get her. The book reacted to me, that was a clue, but I hadn¡¯t called out to her when she appeared the first time. Focus. I closed my eyes and steadied my breathing. Something my mother taught me.


    Mother, she was a yoga teacher by trade. She liked to run marathons for fun. She instilled the practical advice of good stretching and a good breathing rhythm from a young age. Such advice was more useful to my athletic siblings but I found it very grounding in moments like this.


    That¡¯s right, I thought. Breathe in, and out. I noticed something, it was like a warm glow in my hand, I placed it on the book and my hand continued to feel warm. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening but I was going to run with this feeling.


    ¡°You okay, Captain?¡± Mina asked.


    ¡°Huh?¡± I almost shouted as I opened my eyes. Mina¡¯s art was gone and there she was standing next to my hand.


    She tilted her head. ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°What do you remember?¡± I asked her. ¡°Since last night I mean.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, that is,¡± she paused as she brought her paw up to her chin. ¡°I remember laying down next to you. I remember a sense of being asleep, and your voice calling out to me, but then I was just here. How odd, I don¡¯t remember waking up at all.¡±


    How to tell her, this wasn¡¯t going to be easy.


    ¡°What won¡¯t be easy?¡± she asked.


    Gah! I forget she constantly reads my mind! Crap!


    ¡°Is that bad?¡± she asked. ¡°It would be unfortunate if I missed something important because I wasn¡¯t listening.¡±


    I took a deep breath. ¡°No, you are fine. Just, I think I created you, or something.¡±


    ¡°Whatcha mean?¡± she asked.


    I pointed to the book and its pale blue glow. ¡°When I woke your art had returned but now it¡¯s gone. I think you are living art. Which-¡±


    ¡°Would explain my fragmented memory! Very interesting!¡± she interrupted.


    ¡°You¡¯re not mad?¡± I asked.


    She paused and looked at the page while scratching her chin. ¡°No. I think not. You have a kind heart, and I don¡¯t need to read your mind to realize that. Life is precious and you by whatever means granted me this one. I am happy to dedicate it to you, and all I seek in return is for you to remain kind.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    I smiled and offered my index finger. ¡°Deal.¡°


    She shook it with her entire paw. ¡°So what should we be doing next captain?¡±


    ¡°I think, first we need more information, especially about where we are going,¡± I said. ¡°When we arrive, we may be asked questions and I¡¯d very much like to have proper answers prepared. Beyond that initial goal, I suppose figuring out where here is and how I came to be here would be the next goal.¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me, Captain!¡± She shouted. ¡°Detective work is my speciality after all.¡±


    I smiled. ¡°Okay. You handle that. I¡¯ll try not to make any blunders in the meantime.¡±


    ¡°I think you should draw something else too,¡± she said. ¡°After all, you don¡¯t have any ways to defend yourself. A loyal beast would be most reassuring.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s wrong though? To create life like that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Not at all, I enjoy the prospect of this life,¡± she said. ¡°But if the entire camp is asleep this is a prime moment for me, so please allow me to depart.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll think about what you said.¡±


    With that, the pink little mouse Mina scurried away. Creating life, this was the power of a god or so I thought. To be honest I don¡¯t know anything about this world. I don¡¯t know if magic is commonplace or if creating life is simple or complex magic. Or if it was me or this book doing it. But I couldn¡¯t deny that Mina had made a point. A way to defend myself was logical.


    I turned to the backside of Mina¡¯s page and tried to draw a line but¡­ it didn¡¯t work. I tried the pen on my shirt and it worked just fine. I tried on Mina¡¯s page and again nothing. It was like the page was sealed or something. The next page then, I drew a curved line and it worked. Huh. I could see why it wouldn¡¯t work on the side with Mina, but not on the backside?


    Well, it was too early to speculate. I figured I could meet in the middle. I didn¡¯t want to create life if I didn¡¯t have to. So instead I began drawing a knife. I was far from an expert but I had done some whittling, so I wasn¡¯t unfamiliar with how to hold it. Drawing it was a simple process, yet no glow. Nothing.


    I placed my hand over it and tried to meditate, also nothing. I did a small line in the corner as if to confirm I could still draw on the page. Is it not complete? I guess I named Mina. Couldn¡¯t hurt I suppose. I thought Carver sounded like a good name. So I wrote the name but no change. What am I doing wrong?


    Looking up, the sky was beginning to glow with the bright morning lights. People would probably be waking up soon. I didn¡¯t have too much time to investigate. Maybe it had to be alive? I turned the page and began drawing on the back. What would I want as something defensive? I guess a dog made the most sense.


    I began drawing, I was going a lot faster now so I wouldn¡¯t be interrupted. I was going for a black furred dog, well my design more resembled a wolf to be honest but I was still thinking of him as a dog. After all, it was hardly a good defensive tool if I made it something that wouldn¡¯t be a good boy.


    I had given Mina psychic abilities by imagining her with them. What would I want for a dog? Shadow magic. Yeah, so he could hide in my shadow when he wasn¡¯t needed. A good surprise attack. Let¡¯s see, I ended up giving Mina a backstory too. I should probably think of that and a name. Hmm. Kagerou, the shadow pact prince. A former royal dog that belonged to a dog kingdom but his king was overthrown in the chaos he retreated to a more peaceful life. Which he found under my service.


    God, was that lame? I couldn¡¯t think of anything better and I wanted to finish. Heck it. I signed his name and I noticed it as I finished. My pen was still making contact but as soon as I finished his name, the ink stopped sticking. Huh. I tried an experimental line and nothing. Just like Mina¡¯s page. This was-


    ¡°Goodmorning!¡± Hina or Hana said. It was hard to think properly on which girl it was as I noticed her¡­ assets touching my back.


    ¡°Goodmorning,¡± I said, trying to think.


    ¡°Did I startle you?¡± she said as she pressed her finger against my page. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were an artist. What a beautiful Lycanthrope.¡±


    Lycanthrope? Like a werewolf? I don¡¯t know why she saw that, but probably best not to expose my own ignorance. ¡°Maybe a bit. I didn¡¯t notice you wake up.¡±


    ¡°Not good for guard duty!¡± she said.


    ¡°Hana! Stop drooling on him, he said no last night,¡± Hina said.


    Okay so it was Hana pressed against my back. I closed my book. ¡°I should get up.¡± She took my message and climbed off me. I turned to both of them. I noticed the boys were still asleep, which made sense. ¡°So this was my first night with this camp. Yuto seems like a stickler for the rules. Is there anything I should be aware of about the morning routine?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Hina said. ¡°It¡¯s pretty standard. Everyone sort of has their own flow, after breakfast we should just prepare for the walk, but breakfast isn¡¯t for a few hours. Once the boys wake up we are free to do as we please.¡±


    ¡°We should go to the forest!¡± Hana said. ¡°Maybe we can find a spirit tree!¡±


    Frick! I can¡¯t keep pretending I know everything. Risk reward time. Hope I guess right! ¡°Spirit tree? What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Hana said with her mouth agape.


    Frick! Did I pick wrong?


    ¡°Hana! Don¡¯t be rude, we haven¡¯t seen one in weeks. If they don¡¯t grow this far out east, perhaps they don¡¯t grow out west.¡±


    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t he have crossed them on his way here?¡± Hana followed with.


    ¡°Perhaps but it isn¡¯t like I stopped to ask about every piece of vegetation I had never seen before,¡± I said trying to cover up my lack of normal knowledge.


    ¡°Hmmm, then all the more reason to go!¡± she said.


    ¡°Hana, we can¡¯t go anywhere until the boys wake up,¡± Hina said.


    Hana ran over to the boy that woke me up and started rubbing him. Oof. Poor dude. Hana was a force of nature, not one to be stopped by anything. She kind of reminded me of my youngest sister in that regard. Lisa was the same way, once her mind was set, she¡¯d climb the walls to get what she wanted.


    The three boys were all grumpy staring at Hina, Hana and me. What! What did I do! Ugh, I guess I didn¡¯t stop her, not like any of you were going to be able to stop her either. Oh well.


    ¡°Look, we can go!¡± Hana said.


    Hina just smiled awkwardly and I decided to follow suit, if not even Hina was trying, then stopping her was a fool''s errand clearly. I supposed we were going to be looking for a spirit tree.

 B1 Chapter 5 - The Spirit Tree Rite

    I paused, rubbing the sweat off my brow. We had probably only been walking for twenty five minutes but they were going fast and my bags were heavy. I wasn¡¯t really willing to leave them back at camp unattended. Plus I hadn¡¯t eaten.


    ¡°You okay?¡± Hina asked.


    ¡°More proof you''re a noble in hiding,¡± Hana said.


    ¡°But I¡¯m-¡±


    ¡°No one¡¯s here, your secret is safe with me,¡± Hana added. ¡°Or do you have an explanation for being good at the arts, while bad at physical labor for a young man?¡±


    ¡°Just because I don¡¯t have a good answer doesn¡¯t mean your conclusion is the right one,¡± I said with a sigh.


    ¡°I found one,¡± Hina said as she pointed. Looking I noticed the tree. The bark wasn¡¯t especially unique, neither were the leaves. It kind of looked like an apple tree but instead of apples it had flower buds on it. They were fully closed and mostly white or cream in color.


    ¡°My mother told me that spirit trees are grown over the corpses of lycanthropes,¡± Hana said. ¡°It¡¯s the next stage of their life!¡±


    ¡°What? That¡¯s¡­ something else,¡± I said. I had to remember my common sense may not apply here. ¡°I guess they would be rare then.¡±


    ¡°Wanna do the spirit tree rite with me?¡± Hina asked.


    ¡°Huh?¡± I said with a blank face. She didn¡¯t expect me to know this, did she? I didn¡¯t even know what a spirit tree was before today.


    ¡°Bitch!¡± Hana said as she punched Hina in the face. ¡°I was going to ask him!¡±


    ¡°Wait wait, what? What even is the spirit tree rite?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a ritual that is quite common to Yumeji,¡± Hina said smiling. ¡°I would be delighted to do it with you. Given our relocation. I was afraid I wasn¡¯t going to get a chance this year.¡±


    ¡°What about me!¡± Hana shouted.


    Hina turned to face her sister. ¡°You were too slow. Plus, I am the one that found this tree!¡±


    ¡°What is the spirit tree ritual?¡± I asked. ¡°Like saying it¡¯s a ritual common to Yumeji doesn¡¯t tell me much.¡±


    Hina pulled out a knife. ¡°We each carve a line in the tree and place our hands over it. The tree sucks up our mana and dreams. Six months from now, during the early water season, the tree bears fruit. The fruit tastes sweeter based on the dreams of the two that fill the tree in the early fire season.¡±


    Mana? Water season? Fire season. I needed data! ¡°So, in essence, you want me to cut a line in the tree and place my hand over it?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Hina said with sparkles in her eyes.


    ¡°What about me!¡± Hana shouted.


    ¡°I mean, if we can find another tree, then we can do it too, can¡¯t we?¡±


    Hana smiled and stepped aside. I took it to mean she wanted us to hurry up. Whew, hopefully that meant no more violence today.


    With her blade out, Hina carved a diangle line in the tree and then handed me the knife. It didn¡¯t have a guard and was just a sharp piece of almost rusted metal coming out of a somewhat sorry handle. I carved a line across Hina¡¯s creating an X in the tree. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    She closed her eyes and I decided to do the same. I instantly noticed my hand feeling warm. Right, I¡¯m supposed to think up sweet dreams. What did a tree wanna dream about? A tree that was once a werewolf apparently.


    I paused. I got nothing. I decided to think about what I wanted to dream about. Christmas, a decorated tree. Presents. Mom¡¯s honey glazed ham. I could hear my stomach growling in response. Maybe a tree would like the idea of a wonderful dinner. If I was a tree I¡¯d be curious what ham tastes like.


    ¡°So much mana,¡± Hina said as she moved her hand a bit. ¡°That was way more than I have ever seen someone do before.¡±


    ¡°Huh! Is that bad?¡± I asked.


    Before any words came Hana pulled my arm. We were off deeper into the forest. Gosh this woman was on a mission. I wondered why? Like how culturally important was this ritual? She¡¯d run through the forest even though by all accounts we should probably be heading back for breakfast.


    ¡°Wait,¡± I said.


    ¡°Huh?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Is that one?¡± I pointed. I recognized the bark and tree. While it didn¡¯t seem like anything special to me, it wasn¡¯t that common amongst the other trees here.


    We walked a bit to the direction I pointed and then we both realized. This one is dying. It wasn¡¯t dead yet. It had leaves but so few of them. The branches were pretty shriveled too. It was a lot wider than the first tree. This one felt much older. Looking at Hana I saw her crying.


    ¡°I may sound dumb here or be asking a bad question, but can I ask what¡¯s so important about this ritual? You seem pretty interested in this ritual amongst the chaos.¡±


    ¡°It would be the first year I missed it,¡± she said clenching her fist. ¡°I remember my first time. I was just four years old. Mother did it with me. Father did it with Hina. Spirit trees are abundant in Yumeji, but only two can do the ritual. So trees fill up fast. I¡¯d always plan who I wanted to do it with a month ahead of time. But this year,¡± she trailed off.


    I didn¡¯t know what to say. Her struggles as a refugee were intense for sure. I was surprised to be honest, why was she confiding in me? Wouldn¡¯t her mother¡­ oh. I see.


    ¡°Can we still do the ritual on a tree like this?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯d like to try. I don¡¯t want to regret anything ever again.¡±


    ¡°Why me?¡± I asked.


    She turned and looked at me. ¡°I can¡¯t say. Not that I am trying to avoid it or anything. I just feel something special about you. It¡¯s how my mother and father met, if you can believe it. My mother was traveling to meet with her grandmother for winter. There were only a few spirit trees open. She found a local boy and suddenly asked him to be her partner. He was so stunned. I want to be able to tell them about my own story one day.¡±


    ¡°Hina is the only family you have left, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    She nodded.


    I put my arm around her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    She hugged me. I could feel her tears soaking up my shirt. So this is why she was so anxious to ask me for marriage last night. I assume the part about them thinking I was a noble was a factor. After losing everything, I could hardly blame her for wanting some stability and comfort. But I was an Earthling. I didn¡¯t even know how I got here. I couldn¡¯t help her in that regard. No, not in that regard.


    ¡°Well, we don''t have a lot of time, right? Wanna do it? The ritual?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she said. She took out her own knife and made the first cut. I followed after and we put our hands over the cross.


    Dream. This time I did have one. I want you to heal, heal for Hana. Because in six months when she comes back, I know her heart will be aching and your branches, leaves and fruit will leave her with some much needed comfort. Heal and make the sweetest fruit you can! My hand was warming up even faster than last time. Not just faster but even stronger too. It was almost too intense. Is this my mana?


    ¡°Woah,¡± Hana said. ¡°So warm. So wonderful.¡±


    I guess the heat was natural then. I decided to ignore the pain and just keep letting my mana flow. The burning got hotter and I could feel the individual pieces of bark beginning to sizzle against my skin. Hana began to back off and my hand with hers.


    ¡°Your hand!¡± she said. ¡°Its hurt, but how?¡±


    The world was beginning to spin and I fell to my knees. ¡°I dunno, never done that before.¡±


    She touched my hand. ¡°O Ruler of Wolves, grant my prayers for healing my friends. Tier Two. Heal!¡±


    I felt more warmth on my hand but the pain faded with it and looking at it, I was fine. So healing magic. Way cool.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± she asked.


    I nodded. I couldn¡¯t move but that was fine. I just¡­ felt tired. A minute to breathe and I would be fine.


    ¡°I¡¯ll finish the ritual while you rest,¡± she said. She began carving something above and below the X. The one below was much longer.


    ¡°What did you carve?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Wow, you must be out of it,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s our names.¡±


    Huh. Interesting. I began walking with Hana. It only took us a few minutes to find ourselves back to the first tree. Looking I noticed Hina had carved the same name on the bottom. Just a slightly different one on top. I asked to stop for a moment to look at it. I sneakily took out my phone to snap a picture. Knowing how to write my name would be useful.


    With that done, I began trailing behind the girls through the forest back to camp.

 B1 Chapter 6 - Information and Potential

    Breakfast consisted of some hard bread and soup, not as good as what Aoi made but something in me was welcomed. It wasn¡¯t much time after that we began traveling east. The talking around us seemed to point to the idea that we were due to reach the border sometime tomorrow. Luckily Mina found me before we got too far. I was a bit worried.


    Hana and Hina stuck to me and they both seemed happier after the completion of the spirit tree ritual, but the whole situation left me feeling drained. I wasn¡¯t much for stamina to begin with and I had hardly recovered from yesterday, so the prospect of walking for eight or more hours was definitely not something I was looking forward to. I was struggling to keep the pace even in the first hour.


    ¡°Theodore,¡± a harsh voice called. I turned to see Yuto. ¡°You sure you ain¡¯t a girl?¡±


    What was I supposed to say to that? I dunno, let me go check? ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Pathetic, how did you even make it this far?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yuto!¡± Hina said. ¡°It isn¡¯t his fault! He did two spirit tree rites! It¡¯s our fault!¡±


    He scrunched his brow. ¡°I thought I told you two not to be a bother, though, even at that. Just two? How little mana does the boy have?¡±


    ¡°Actually it¡¯s the opposite!¡± Hana shouted. ¡°He pushed so much mana into the tree he burned his hand. I have never seen anything like it. It was marvelous.¡±


    ¡°What? You fool!¡± he said, smacking the top of my head. ¡°Why would you do that?¡±


    Gah! Why would you hit me for that! I guess honesty is probably the best policy here. If he asks me any questions about magic I won¡¯t be able to answer and if I feign knowledge now, he will know I was lying. ¡°I never actually used my mana before. It was hard to control.¡±


    He looked closely at me, I could tell what his glare meant. Something along the lines of ¡°is he strong or perhaps lying, or maybe dumb?¡± It was a look I had seen in plenty of adults from my hometown. It was scary since I didn¡¯t know the consequences of earning his ire just yet.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± he said. We came up to a wagon. ¡°Climb in.¡±


    Was this mercy? I was skeptical but I clearly wasn¡¯t going to last. So I was looking forward to the help. I tossed my bags on the wagon and tried to pull myself up but I just didn¡¯t have the arm strength and there was only one step. So I couldn¡¯t slowly climb up.


    ¡°Really?¡± he said as he grabbed me with one hand and lifted me with what seemed like superhuman strength. I know I was thin but I wasn¡¯t so thin that a person should be able to handle me like I was a couch cushion. I see, if people augment their strength with magic, then my lack of physical strength was even more of a red flag. Crap.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said.


    ¡°I should say that Hina and Hana have struggled more than most. I am glad you gave them something to smile about. Not understanding your mana is dangerous though. Rest for now, I will help you test your mana tonight.¡±


    I had a feeling his offer was not entirely genuine but there was little I could do about it for now. I found a somewhat empty spot in the corner. The wagon smelled pretty bad, I had a feeling this was mostly bed rolls and similar things. But that did make it a bit more cushy than just the bare hardwood of the wagon.


    ¡°So Mina. What did you learn?¡± I asked.


    ¡°For one, there are several countries nearby. Two nations have been at particularly high tensions recently before they erupted into a full on war. Hoshizora and Asahi. One fighting began, they quickly sought aid from the nearby countries. Yumegi and Yogure seem to have been squeezed the most and most of the refugees here are among those nations. ¡±


    ¡°I see, what of where I claimed to be from, Hikarigawa?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Hikarigawa is on the west coast, and borders these nations on the other side. So a lot of refugees are going that way too. All the Hikarigawa citizens traveling east appear to have settled in Yogure and find it more reasonable to travel the shorter journey east then back home.¡±


    Okay, that gives me something to play with. Wait, does that mean the two groups that met up, one was from Yogure and one from Yumegi?


    She nodded. ¡°You have mainly been interacting with Yumegi people, it seems.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    I lucked out there. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°No one knows what to expect at the border but some people have papers to present. I have snuck a peek at many of them,¡± she said.


    Interesting. Forging papers may be useful, But for that to happen I need to see what Mina saw. I wonder if she can share images in my mind.


    ¡°I dunno, I never tried. Shall I?¡± she asked.


    Still not used to the fact that she could just hear my thoughts but I guess it is efficient. ¡°Yes, please.¡±


    Her eyes began shining blue and moments later I could see the images inside my head. It was disorienting but I could recognize what I saw. It looked like a form in a strange language. Hikarigawa forms were much neater than the other places. Though, I don¡¯t know where to put my name. The rest I could simply copy outright. But the name was something I¡¯d like to copy, especially since I saw Hina and Hana carve my name on the tree.


    ¡°I¡¯ll look into that when things settle down,¡± she said. ¡°I have one more thing to report. Seasons and time keeping are different here. I have gained a vague understanding of it.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know all the details but this world is separated into four seasons. Known as earth season for what we call spring. Fire season for summer, wind season for autumn and water for winter. A month here is composed of three ten day weeks. People say we are currently in the early rising fire season.¡±


    That would make it like June back home. Good weather for travel. I don¡¯t know how harsh winter is, but at least I got a reasonable amount of time to prepare. ¡°Thank you Mina, it is valuable information. I gotta ask though. Do you know anything about mana?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°I do not. Sorry, captain.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t an issue. When we stop, if you can find out the name section of documents and mana, that would be my next curiosity.¡± I said.


    She nodded.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind though, I would like to experiment with something,¡± I said. ¡°If you are my summon, I want to try and practice summoning and dismissing you.¡±


    She just nodded again. I smiled at her level of helpfulness.


    I closed my eyes and tried to picture her returning to the book. Opening my eyes revealed nothing had changed. Guess it¡¯s not that simple. But I had nothing but time to practice.


    ***


    I yawned as I opened my eyes. After all my practice, I had managed to summon Hina at will but it had left me very tired. Looking outside I could tell that the sun had just nearly set and the wagon stopped moving.


    ¡°Good morning, Captain,¡± she said.


    Huh, so she did manage to exist while I was asleep. Neat.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna go look for more information now,¡± she said, jumping off the wagon.


    I need to save some food to give her later, she has to be hungry or do summons get hungry? I had a lot I needed to learn. I looked around only to spot Yuto. Agh, him again. I guess he said he planned for us to train today but I didn¡¯t want to do more with him.


    ¡°Theodore! You seem rested, let us head to your camp spot tonight,¡± he said.


    We went to the edge of camp. People were setting up their bedrolls, but it appeared to be a bit early for bed since the sun was still up, even if barely. None of the guards from last night were around. Actually no one was around except for those setting things up.


    He tossed me what looked like a rock on a necklace. It has a brown color to it. It kind of looked like a fossilized piece of tree bark. ¡°Pour your mana into that. As much as you can.¡±


    ¡°Not to be difficult but I would preferably like to understand what you plan to do with my mana before I give it,¡± I said.


    ¡°Nothing dangerous I assure you,¡± he said. ¡°It is a wood mana stone. Mana has weight, by measuring the weight after you flow it in, I will be able to gauge your baseline level of mana. I just wanna see how much mana you have.¡±


    I was also curious if I had a high level of mana. So I decided to try it. I remembered back to the tree and tried to let that warm feeling dance around my hand. In an instant I felt this strange sensation in my hand. Like on one side it reminded me of a vacuum being pressed against me, pulling, but on the flipside nothing was happening.


    My hand was getting hot and all while the rest of my body was starting to feel chilly, but that perhaps was also due to the fact that the sun was now over the horizon. I fell to my knees and the stone fell out of my now limp hands.


    He picked it up. ¡°Heavy.¡±


    ¡°Wait! Is that it! You don¡¯t have a scale or something!¡± I asked.


    He shook his head. ¡°Nah. Don¡¯t need one to tell this is a lot, but there is a second way to test how powerful your mana is.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°O divine, listen to your children and grant us life in this harshest of times. Tier three, sprout!¡± He shouted as he slammed his hand into the ground.


    A sapling emerged where his hand had been and continued to grow at an incredible rate. The cracking of the ground as it pushed things out of the way was loud and startling. I know this was literally magic but seeing it go from nothing to a full grown tree in a matter of minutes was shocking. My mana did that?


    It even went so far that it began producing green fruits that reminded me of an apple by look.


    ¡°These will be useful,¡± he said.


    ¡°I take it I have a good magical potential?¡± I asked.


    He looked at me with a glare. ¡°Do you know so little about magic and the world that you fail to see the value of growing food in an instant?¡±


    Crap. I guess that was a fair point. I couldn¡¯t counter his logic. I just had to lean into it. ¡°I told you that I knew little of mana. You fault my ignorance but still won¡¯t give me a solid answer. Even if I am to interrupt what you just said to mean this is impressive. How impressive!¡±


    ¡°You make a point,¡± he said. He took out something from his pocket and flung it towards me. ¡°Payment for the fruit. That better answer your question?¡±


    I caught the coin. It was gold. Frankly, no! That didn¡¯t answer my question but even I could tell that was the worst possible thing to say. ¡°Given these trying times, I am beyond grateful for this,¡± I said. I hoped it was enough to satisfy him without forcing me to say one way or another.


    He nodded and began to walk away. ¡°I¡¯ll have the girls bring dinner for you. So wait here. Your body is likely tired from using that much mana. You shouldn¡¯t move much until you eat.¡±


    I just laid back and spread my arms and legs out. Scary!

 B1 Chapter 7 - The Wolves

    ¡°Wow,¡± Hina said as she handed me some food. It appeared to be a slab of meat with something that looked like mashed potatoes next to it. ¡°Did you do this?¡±


    I looked at the tree. I mean. I didn¡¯t know magic but I guess in some way you could say it was my fault. It was my mana at least. ¡°Yuto made it.¡±


    ¡°He said he made it with your mana though,¡± Hana said.


    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true,¡± I said.


    The boys that would be staying for guard duty seemed to look at the tree but they didn¡¯t say anything of note. I guess men tend to be quieter in this world too.


    ¡°To think that you still had so much mana available,¡± Hana said. ¡°You must have a lot of potential. I wonder if you have a high wood affinity.¡±


    ¡°Wood affinity?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah, basically if you have a high affinity for a style of magic, then your mana acts as double or even quadruple the original mana. Having a high affinity would certainly explain why you¡¯d find the spirit tree rite and making a full koako tree on the same day.¡±


    Koako tree? Guessing that is the name of the apple-like plant. But there is only so much I want to show ignorance on in one day. So I just smiled instead. I took a bite of the mashed potato-like food on my plate and instantly started coughing.


    ¡°Silly!¡± Hana said laughing. ¡°Why would you take a straight bite of it?¡±


    ¡°The meat is very good but a bit planned, you eat them together to reduce the saltiness.¡±


    I took the advice and took a slice of the meat and smeared it in the potato-like stuff. Not only was it better but it was highly delicious. The meat had a natural sweetness and the saltiness blended together well. I was quite happy with it.


    ¡°Better?¡± Hina asked.


    Since my mouth was full I just gave a thumbs up.


    The girls tilted their heads. ¡°What¡¯s that mean?¡± Hina asked.


    ¡°Oh, uhm, it means yes,¡± I said. Of all the things that would be a reminder that I am not on Earth anymore. Someone not understanding a thumbs up was the more surreal ones.


    Hina and Hana gave me a thumbs up. I almost couldn¡¯t help laughing seeing them do a thumbs up for the first time. After finishing the meat and potato-like item. I looked up at the fruit tree. Yuto had someone picking the fruit but I was curious if I could have one.


    ¡°Are the koako fruit good?¡± I asked.


    ¡°A bit sweet for me,¡± Hana said. ¡°But they are filling. Never had one?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Never. Think Yuto would be mad if I had one?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine why, but I wouldn¡¯t recommend it,¡± Hina said.


    ¡°How come?¡± I asked while looking over at her.


    ¡°Because you need mana rich food,¡± she said.


    I just titled my head in confusion. These fruits were made with my mana, wouldn¡¯t that make them extremely mana rich? ¡°Koako fruit are low in mana?¡±


    Hanako laughed. ¡°You really are an amateur aren¡¯t you? Any food made with magic is low in mana. Food creation is exchanging mana for material. You can hardly expect the food created to be rich in mana after it used all that mana to become food.¡±


    Oh. Well, I guess my understanding was flawed. ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°If you want more food, we can fetch more. After using so much mana today you¡¯d do well to eat mana rich food. That is why we brought you the steak. Meat is especially mana rich.¡±


    I gave a thumbs up. Perhaps it was the mana use or the excitement but I was definitely super hungry.


    I had seconds and everyone talked while the campfire roared. It was an atmosphere I was used to. Reminded me of dad and the family when we would go camping. This time I was smart enough to keep a few bites of steak on me so that way I could give some to Mina when she came back. As the night air grew cold, eventually everyone went to bed. I was on the first watch again.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    ¡°Captain,¡± Mina said as she came up to me.


    I smiled as I held out the steak. ¡°I remembered this time.¡± It was cold, but she had been running around all night. I figured it was probably a welcomed treat.


    Her eyes shined brightly while looking at it. Nibbling fiercely while she continued to talk. I forgot that her mouth hardly mattered when she spoke directly into my head. She had found the box for my name. With that I had what I needed to forge a birth certificate, well once I had parchment and ink that is.


    People weren¡¯t really speaking about mana, except for chatter about a young girlish boy that made a koako tree bloom at once. So me. Well, it wasn¡¯t worthless information, the fact that this was impressive enough to get the notice of a large chunk of camp was more evidence my levels of mana were abnormal. I suppose I should take it as a blessing for now.


    Mina¡¯s ears suddenly shot backwards. ¡°I feel something.¡±


    I looked out in the direction she pointed but nothing but darkness could be seen. The campfire really was a double edged sword here. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it¡¯s hostile. I suggest summoning Kagerou at once!¡±


    Never summoned him but I did practice. I envisioned my wolf buddy and could feel him jumping out of the book. Come forth!


    ¡°Yes, master. I am here,¡± he said looking at me but then suddenly looking in the same direction as Mina. ¡°They look like me. Five or six of them, moving this way. I smell bloodlust.¡±


    ¡°Go forth and attack then!¡± I shouted. Kagerou vanished instantly and I went over to Hina shaking her awake. ¡°Hina! Wake up.¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Morning already?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I see wolves coming this way!¡± I said.


    ¡°Where is Hana! Is she okay?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Help me get everyone awake,¡± I said.


    She jumped up to go to Hana and I went over to one of the boys. To their credit, the boys were less disoriented by the sudden shaking and got up instantly. All three lined up to look alongside the two girls.


    ¡°I see eight wolves,¡± one of the boys said.


    ¡°Aki is it just me or does it look like one is fighting the others though,¡± Hana said.


    They could see that! I couldn¡¯t see. Not even now. I¡¯d consider the idea that their eyes were adjusted to the dark but how did the fire not ruin that the moment they woke up.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Aki said. He pulled an arrow from his quiver. ¡°Aka, go report to Yuto. I got this.¡±


    Aki unleashed an arrow and then the two girls and the third boy charged out towards the darkness. He then turned and looked at me. I felt like he was judging me.


    I got up next to him and looked towards what sounded like a battle. I could hear the grunts and thuds of them attacking. ¡°You think they will be okay?¡±


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you preparing your own fighting method?¡± Aki asked me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have one. I don¡¯t currently have a weapon,¡± I said.


    He snorted. ¡°Useless. Why even have you on the guard.¡±


    I almost wished I could tell him that Kagerou out there was mine but I didn¡¯t know enough about magic. For now I would hold that card close. ¡°Not like I asked for guard duty.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s over,¡± Aki said as he put his bow down and sat down.


    I certainly didn¡¯t hear anything else. It took a few minutes but eventually Hana, Hina and the third boy returned.


    Hana plopped down. ¡°Man,¡± she said. ¡°Hate to do it. Lycanthropes are sacred.¡±


    Aki grimanced in response. ¡°An attacker is an attacker.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you-¡±


    Everyone gasped suddenly and I realized that fur was rubbing against me. Kagerou? Aki drew his bow and before I could even fully register what happened he fired an arrow and it hit the empty ground next to me. Kagerou was gone.


    ¡°What?¡± I exclaimed.


    ¡°Was that shadowstep?¡± Hina asked.


    ¡°Where is he!¡± Aki shouted, another arrow already on the nock.


    ¡°I come in peace,¡± Kagerou said.


    Aki didn¡¯t listen and fired again but again he hit nothing but dirt. Hina then punched him in the face. ¡°Don¡¯t make an enemy out of a helpful lycanthrope,¡± Hana said.


    ¡°What¡¯s your problem dog fucker,¡± Aki said.


    ¡°Take that back!¡± Hana shouted.


    Kagerou appeared again. Shit, maybe I should dismiss him? No, if I do that now the entire camp is going to panic. I needed to act. I was his master after all.


    ¡°What is your name?¡± I said looking at him.


    His eyes went wide but then settled, I think he understood what I was getting at. ¡°My name is Kagerou, those foul mannered brethren of mine could smell this tree. I could not standby and watch them attack peaceful humans.¡±


    ¡°See!¡±  Hana said.


    ¡°She makes a point,¡± the boy said. ¡°He could have attacked by now if that was his actual goal.¡±


    ¡°Ugh! He is a monster,¡± Aki shouted.


    By this point Yuto arrived. He saw Kagerou but didn¡¯t immediately react. ¡°Enough. You¡¯re all acting like children!¡±


    I mean, Yuto, I am seventeen, I am a child. Or definitely not an adult yet. Didn¡¯t look like anyone else around here was much older than me. Well except Yuto, that is.


    ¡°Should we do something specific since there are monsters nearby?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yuto! Sir. This dog has shadowstep, he is a threat!¡± Aki shouted.


    Yuto sighed. ¡°I will give you some meat,¡± he said to Kagerou. ¡°Just sleep here tonight.¡±


    ¡°Sir!¡± Aki shouted.


    ¡°Aki, Theodore, with me. Hana, pet the lycanthrope already.¡± I walked over to him about twenty feet away from Kagerou before he began speaking up again. ¡°Shadowstep makes this more complex. The best thing to do is to act nice. If we antagonize him, he could turn hostile and attack anywhere in camp. If you scare him off we are going to need the entire camp on full alert but if you keep him here and satisfied then just your squad needs to be on high alert. Understand?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Make sense.¡±


    ¡°Are you a dog fucker too?¡± Aki shouted.


    I really hope he wasn¡¯t meaning that literally.


    ¡°Aki. I know how you feel. Enough! If you want to be at camp here tonight then chill.¡±


    He walked away without a word.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Yuto said. ¡°I guess the mana in the tree attracted them. It was a risk but I didn¡¯t think we would attract something as dangerous as a shadow walking lycanthrope. Try and get some sleep, okay?¡±


    I just nodded again. Frick. I guess that meant I couldn¡¯t dismiss Kagerou, if I did the entire camp would be put on full alert. With Yuto gone, I walked back over by the campsite. The two boys seemed to be trying to calm Aki. While both Hana and Hina were petting Kagerou, their smiles were bright and lively. Perhaps I was biased given I created him, but I much preferred sticking with the girls and petting the big fluffy dog. So that¡¯s what I did.

 B1 Chapter 8 - Arriving at the Border

    I cracked my neck as I sipped some of the soup Hina brought. Morning came and Kagerou announced his exit before I canceled the summon. His vanishing act was just assumed to be shadowstep so that was a nice aspect.


    ¡°So, what was Aki¡¯s problem?¡± I asked Hina.


    ¡°He is a fucking dickbag! That¡¯s his problem!¡± Hana shouted.


    I just sort of let my jaw hang for a second. What was I supposed to say to that? Also did she not notice I was trying to be discreet?


    ¡°Hana! Shut it!¡± Hina shouted before turning to me. ¡°Sorry. It is understandable when you think of it. Yumeji is home to many lycanthropes, so of course they were recruited for the war effort. Yugure is Aki¡¯s home. So lycanthropes are invading his home. But the thing is-¡±


    ¡°We are refugees!¡± Hana shouted again. ¡°We aren¡¯t supposed to bring the baggage from the war here! Yugure has hurt Yumeji citizens too but we aren¡¯t calling him¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Hina said. ¡°Though, it isn¡¯t just that simple. Lycanthropes don¡¯t have many places that offer them citizenship. So most places don¡¯t hold them to the same standards we do.¡±


    Huh. Wolves with citizenship. Interesting. I hadn¡¯t considered that a possibility. Now I wasn¡¯t sure if I should be mad at other places for not trying to integrate the wolves or proud of Yumeji. Though, that was perhaps harsh. It was just a gut reaction. I am sure the politics is way more complex than I realize.


    ¡°Yumeji sounds like a nice place to live,¡± I said looking at the sky.


    ¡°Yeah totally!¡± Hana said in her loud booming voice.


    ¡°You make it sound as if Hikarigawa isn¡¯t,¡± Hina added.


    ¡°Oh no, I didn¡¯t mean that¡­ it¡¯s just,¡± I paused. Not like I could say anything about Hikarigawa. What to say!


    ¡°No need to feel pressured,¡± Hina said. ¡°I know that look. It is clear you miss home too. I wouldn¡¯t want you to feel like you have to share.¡±


    I sipped the soup. ¡°Thank you. I do miss home. I feel comfortable saying that much.¡±


    I wondered what everyone was doing back home? I didn¡¯t have many friends, would they even notice? My family was certainly looking for me. They were probably stressed and worried. Would I ever be able to get home? Aoi¡¯s cooking is wonderful and I feel fortunate to have it, but it isn¡¯t mom¡¯s.


    We packed up and began walking. At first I couldn¡¯t even begin to keep up, but they let me toss my bags on the back of a wagon. That helped a ton but even then I was struggling to keep the pace. It was odd. I knew I was out of shape but I felt heavier. The air felt denser too, like I was in a deep valley or something. I could be just imagining it, but then again it was reasonable to conclude that the gravitational constant was different here.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    That would bear investigation. But it wasn¡¯t the first on my list of priorities. For now I needed to make it to the border, find some paper and make a fake birth certificate. Everything else was secondary. I paused for a moment trying to catch my breath.


    ¡°You really are a girl aren¡¯t you?¡± Yuto asked as he pushed me forward. ¡°How else do you explain being so weak?¡±


    I decided to use it to my advantage, I stumbled forward and tripped. That hurt but it would be worth it. I wasn¡¯t going to win against someone like Yuto, but-


    ¡°Yuto!¡± Hana shouted. ¡°What is your problem! Pushing a tired person is just cruel!¡±


    ¡°I barely touched him!¡± Yuto countered.


    ¡°Apparently not!¡± Hana fired back.


    Hina helped me back to my feet. I had to be careful, I tried to just let my natural tiredness carry me. I didn¡¯t want anyone to realize I fell on purpose. Helping my little sister practice for her elementary school plays actually paid off!


    ¡°How are you so weak!¡± Yuto asked. ¡°Like how did you even make it on this trip?¡±


    ¡°Maybe he is tired cuz he made a full freaking tree after we already told you he used a lot of mana! Did you think of that!¡± Hana said.


    ¡°It is the last day, maybe we could let him ride in the wagon?¡± Hina asked.


    Yuto just rolled his eyes but Hina and Hana seemed to take that as a cue I could. I grabbed the wagon and tried to pull myself up but I couldn¡¯t. Yeah I was definitely heavier. I don¡¯t know how much, but otherwise I should have been able to climb up five feet. Even if I would have struggled.


    Hana gave me a boost and I stumbled into a bundle of smelly blankets. I was more than welcoming to the dirty smell since I at least got a soft landing out of the situation. I got to finish my first big trip with a whimper.


    We arrived about five hours later. So we still had a few hours of daylight still. I jumped out of the wagon ready to go. Mina had her own mission to find any useful information around here. I was looking for paper.


    My immediate surroundings contained a few things of note. Vast plains to the east, the way we came. A forest to the south and mountains to the north, though the mountains looked to be a week''s walk at the absolute fastest. West was the city, and it was mostly a sturdy wooden fence about fifteen feet high, but there were stone parts of the fence that seemed to connect to a castle.


    It was beautiful to see a real life castle in person, or at least part of one. A small part of me wanted to draw it immediately but that wouldn¡¯t be smart. So I held back for now.  As luck would have it. The border did have a bit of a community set up. So it didn¡¯t take long for me to find a bazaar.


    It stunk way worse than the dirty blankets too as they seemed to mostly be selling food of one sort or another. Non-food items were more like blankets or knives, not what I was looking for. But I only needed to find one guy selling what I was looking for.


    Most of these people didn¡¯t have signs or anything either. I wondered how widespread literacy was. My guess, given the time period it seemed like I was in, probably low. Wait, I noticed a guy was writing. I ran over to his shop to notice he was selling rope and snares, along with other small but useful pieces.


    ¡°Hi, I was wondering. Can I purchase some parchment and ink?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± he said looking up from his writing. ¡°Why?¡±


    Probably better to play dumb here. ¡°I dunno, my boss asked me to get at least two sheets though.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± he said, scratching his head. ¡°Two silvers per sheet and three for this ink,¡± he said, holding out a glass jar that seemed to be half used.


    I handed him my gold coin. ¡°That would be a deal.¡± I tried to hold a confident face. I had no idea if silver converted to gold or the other way around. But since I already mentioned I was working for someone, I could probably just claim to be dumb if I was wrong.


    He took the coin and handed me three silver coins back. Oh thank god! Base ten and silver is cheaper than gold. He handed me the two sheets and the jar of ink with the quill that seemed to act as a stopper as well. I hurriedly ran off. I need privacy now! Time to forge my documents!

 B1 Chapter 9 - Hanakirin and Open Eyes

    Not exactly the kind of work I wanted to do in front of other people. The campsite was fairly large so leaving it was quite the walk all things considering. A bit to the south east there was a hill that I used to help me hide. I rolled out one of the pieces of parchment I had gotten. Oh right. I needed Mina to show me what the documents she found looked like.


    I opened my book. The page I drew her on had a light blue glow to it, especially around what would be her outline. I wonder. Can I cancel the summon from this distance? I learned how to cancel summons during the trip. I took a deep breath and tried to bring her home. The blue glow faded and her image reappeared. Dang! It worked! Cool!


    I summoned her again the next instant.


    ¡°That was weird, captain,¡± she said. ¡°I was just at the bazaar, and now here?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, that wasn¡¯t bad I hope?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t say bad,¡± she said. ¡°Just different.¡±


    ¡°Can you show me what the papers looked like again? I need to forge them, the sooner the better!¡±


    This part felt kind of slimy if I was being honest, more invasive than the normal telepathy for sure, but it was fairly easy for me to get the general gist of each section and my skills at copying were pretty good. It was slow and boring work, but I couldn¡¯t afford anything less than perfect.


    ¡°How¡¯s it look?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Wow, you are so good, captain. I can¡¯t tell the difference besides your name,¡± she said.


    I smiled. I had one more sheet of parchment. ¡°I think we should test my ability,¡± I said. I was experimenting with different parchment and ink first. If my ability worked than the book I had didn¡¯t mean anything to it. But it¡¯s possible the book''s paper was unique, or the pen that I found with the book is unique.


    ¡°So what kind of summon are you going to make this time?¡± she asked.


    Hmm¡­ I wanted to try a plant too. That may have been foolish given the extra variable, but I couldn¡¯t summon a knife. Mina and Kagerou were both animals. I wondered if I could create plants. ¡°I think, a cactus.¡±


    ¡°Why a cactus?¡± she asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see!¡± I said as I began sketching. I wasn¡¯t going for any real world cactus. I was making a dome, or more accurately an upside down bowl. With an open space underneath it, to make it the perfect shelter for me. With some hard wood bits and a softer outer shell with thorns, it should be something no human or monster wants to investigate.


    If this works then I was literally creating a new type of thing. I was getting excited. I realized something else while thinking about it too. Mina came out about one to one to her art. But Kagerou had come out probably twenty times larger than his art. So I could modify the size. This cactus needed to have enough space for me to fit and preferably comfortably enough to sleep. So she would need to be at least three meters in diameter underneath. Yeah. I gave her a flower on the top to complete the look.


    Hanakirin, the gentle guardian. Yeah that would be her name. A spirit of healing and protection. Like a tree spirit, a spirit with thorns for her enemy and protection and safety for those that fall under her control. I like it.


    Wait! No way! I noticed the ink stopped soaking into the parchment the moment I finished her name. Did it work? I tried to summon her and sure enough, there she was. With a bit of a thud as she nestled into the dirt.


    ¡°She¡¯s big!¡± Mina said.


    Yep. I fell to my knee. Wow, that felt intense or sort of at least. It was a steady drain, one I hadn¡¯t felt with Kagerou or Mina. Is it because she is so big? I took a deep breath and walked towards her. Her thorns moved aside for me as I touched her soft base. I guess she wouldn¡¯t have a mouth in which to speak. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Spirits need no mouth,¡± I heard. It was soft, almost a whimper.


    ¡°I see, your voice,¡± I said. ¡°It reminds me of my mother.¡± I clenched my hand into her body.


    ¡°I am honored, young master,¡± she said. ¡°But you should dismiss me, the one that shares my name approaches.¡±


    Huh? Shares her name?


    ¡°She is right!¡± Mina shouted. ¡°A human approaches.¡±


    I canceled both summons and slumped to my butt. Letting go was like a breath of fresh air but having it without bracing myself had caught me off guard. I will need to practice that too. I was tired. As much as it was nice to have Hanakirin, I can¡¯t say I am looking forward to sleeping outside again.


    I wondered who is coming all the way out here? I felt like I should maybe be on guard but I could always summon Kagerou at a moment''s notice. I was just way to mentally tired after all the forging and drawing to care. The sun was getting close to setting and I was becoming quite hungry.


    ¡°Theodore!¡± a female voice called out.


    Looking, I saw Hana. Oh! Duh. Hanakirin. Hana. I laughed at my own failure. ¡°Oh hey. What brings you out here?¡±


    ¡°You! Duh,¡± she said, offering me a sandwich with a bright smile on her face. ¡°I made it myself.¡±


    ¡°I mean, how did you know I was up here?¡± I asked. If she is a good tracker it would be better to know such things.


    ¡°This!¡± she said, holding her closed fist in front of me.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± I asked.


    She laughed. ¡°You really don¡¯t see it do you? Not even a tiny bit?¡± She opened her hand but nothing was there.


    ¡°Is that abnormal?¡± I asked. I hated feeling like I was possibly answering questions in the worst possible way but what else could I do? I couldn¡¯t see anything.


    ¡°Nah,¡± she said. ¡°Just you had so much mana, it felt like you should see it. I can teach you, if you want.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± I asked. Learning was certainly a good thing, but learn what! Ugh!I hope I wasn¡¯t making a mistake here.


    ¡°Call it repayment. You¡¯re mana gave us extra food and summoned that wolf Kagerou. Petting a lycanthrope really helped me calm down. All the ones I knew stayed back to join the war effort.¡±


    I smiled. I was happy I could help. Even if the situation she was referring to had made half the camp on edge. ¡°I thought that is what the sandwich is?¡± I teased.


    ¡°Nah,¡± she said. ¡°I know you said you weren¡¯t ready to get married. But one day you will be. I might as well make a good impression now. I can do more than punch, even if people doubt it.¡±


    This certainly was a new side to her. She was usually so groff, but she didn¡¯t have quite the same refinement her sister had. Honestly it was a nice balance. I¡¯d be lying if I said a cute girl giving me a sandwich cuz she liked me didn¡¯t make me happy. I smiled as I took a bite. The bread was more hard tact than actual bread. So calling it good was a stretch, but in its own way. It had a charm.


    ¡°Thank you. I was starving, so this is just what I needed,¡± I said.


    She smiled and began eating her own sandwich. It was odd seeing her without her sister. Knowing her, she had to have slipped away or Hina would have followed her over here. She was trying so hard. When the sandwiches were gone and my stomach wasn¡¯t rumbling anymore she raised her finger.


    ¡°Now. I found you with a spell. Open Eyes.¡±


    ¡°Open eyes?¡± I asked.


    She nodded. ¡°It is a tier one spirit spell that enhances the spirit detecting levels of your eyes to enable you to see spirit particles.¡±


    So like, aura sensing? Or ki sensing? Interesting. ¡°Can you teach me?¡± I asked.


    She nodded. ¡°First, you need to channel mana into your hand, then place your hands over your eyes. Let the mana sink into your eyes. Don¡¯t overdo it for your first try. Just let me know when you get a pleasant warmness.¡±


    Okay. Mana, I had done that a few times. So flowing it into my hands was simply enough. ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Repeat after me. O lord of spirits, guide my hand. Guide my eyes. Give me your sight. Spirit Tier One: Open Eyes!¡±


    ¡°O lord of spirits, guide my hand. Guide my eyes. Give me your sight. Spirit Tier One: Open Eyes!¡± I said.


    Whoa, it was like. Almost a twisting sensation in my eyes and a coldness. When I opened my eyes, lights, little specks of light everywhere! It was beautiful, magical even. No wait I guess literally.


    ¡°First try? You are quite something Theodore. Usually people find spirit magic to be harder,¡± she said.


    ¡°I love it,¡± I said smiling. ¡°But how did this help you find me?¡±


    ¡°Focus on my heart,¡± she said as she placed her hand over it.


    Oh geez, she was basically telling me to stare at her boobs. Totally not fair! But I guess I had too. It took a moment but as I stared at her chest. A pink cloth seemed to grow out of it. ¡°Pink?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You see it,¡± she said. Can you grab it?


    The cloth floated in the air as it was made of tissue. It seemed to defy gravity entirely. I wrapped my hands around a piece further away from her body. ¡°Like this?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± she said. ¡°This is my spirit ribbon. If I am nearby, it is visible,¡± she stood up and ran around me.


    Oh, I get it. The ribbon in my hands didn¡¯t move. It was more like she was dripping more of this cloth as she ran around me. If I followed it, I would follow her. So she found me by tracking my ribbon. Interesting. This would be a notable detail to remember.


    ¡°Please remember my ribbon,¡± she said. ¡°So we can always find each other.¡±


    I smiled and stared at her ribbon. It wasn¡¯t just pink. I noticed it had a floral pattern etched into it. Also the trim was yellow. It was truly unique if you knew what to look for. ¡°I got it.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°Promise?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±