2 Welcome to Ebris

Normally people don't remember their birth. But nothing about my new life was normal.

The midwife held me after I was cut out of my mother's stomach. I was a C-section baby after my mother had so many miscarriages before me. The people of my town often called me the miracle child. I thought to myself, maybe that goddess granted my wish of a new life and my new mother's wish to have her own child at the same time. Or maybe we had both wished it at the exact same time and that's what prompted the exchange. Whatever the case, that still didn't explain why I retained my memories.

I watched as the nurses and doctors healed my mother's fresh wound with what I can only describe as magic. A pale green light emitted from their hands as they whispered a chant in unison. My mother was completely healed by the end of the day, as she was able to walk and hold me.

Her long black hair cascaded down her shoulders as she leaned to kiss my forehead.

"My sweet girl," she whispered to me, "you don't know how long I've waited for the day I could finally meet you."

Wait. What? Did she say girl?!

"Hello, Sachiko. Welcome to Ebris. I promise to take good care of you."

***

From age five to seventeen I went to an all girls school. It was absolutely bizarre. Girls had a much different way of doing things. Hierarchies were established with mental gymnastics that I was not capable of, so once again I found myself keeping my head low. However, there was Rika.

Rika Ignacio was a grade higher than me and also seemed just as lost, but we connected with each other right away. She lived alone with her father who was the town's blacksmith. She went to school only because she had to, but she was counting down the days until she could start her blacksmithing apprenticeship.

I would've loved be a blacksmith, but in all honesty I just wasn't physically strong enough. Rika was unbelievably sturdy. Probably got it from her father. Not just physically either. She always had a smile on her face and nothing ever got her down. She was definitely the strongest person I knew, aside from my new mother.

"Sachi-ko!" Rika sang out to me before class began. Her hair was long and a vibrant red with some yellow highlights. She kept it pulled back in a high ponytail. I'm pretty sure she had grown it out our entire lives. She was lean and tall with icy blue eyes. She was quite the sight compared to almost any other girl, especially me. My hair was black, like my mother's, but I kept it cut clean and short just halfway down my neck. I had shaggy bangs and green eyes. I wore the same black collared button up school uniform that I had when I was fourteen-years-old. I had never fully hit my growth spurt. I was skinny and a head shorter than all the other girls in my class. They called me a tomboy, which I was perfectly fine with.

"What's up?" I sat my burlap sack next to my chair as I took a seat next to Rika.

"Pops has a special order he's been slaving away on, but he's just about done! It's the coolest blade I have ever seen," she said gleefully, "You have to come over and see it."

"He'll let us in the forge?" I asked.

Rika leaned back in her chair. "I wouldn't worry about every little detail."

My face fell flat. "That's not a little detail."

"It's fine!" Rika smiled. "Just come after it gets dark. I promise, it'll be worth it."

I knitted my brows at my friend. It wouldn't have been the first time we snuck into the forge, but the last time we were caught by Harv and scolded profusely. When I was sent home, my mother punished me as well. In my past life I was always alone and in control of everything I did, so having a parent punish me felt all sorts of wrong. I honestly didn't want to go through something like that again. I felt so guilty.

"Is it really that cool?" I asked.

Rika's eyes lit up. "The most awesome thing I've seen in my life, I swear on Thyra!"

Thyra was the worshipped goddess of the region, the goddess of abundance. I grew up in the farming region of Larnwick in a town called Anfield. Everyone in Larnwick prayed to Thyra like their livelihoods depended on it, 'cause, well, they did. Thyra was believed to bring bountiful harvests each and every year.

I pursed my lips before answering. "Okay, I believe you. I'll be there tonight."

My heart leapt at the admission. Rika's father was an amazing freak of nature that could produce weapons and armor at an alarming rate with no cost to the quality. Many adventurers passing through would commission him. Sometimes even small armies would as well.

Ebris was a world of magical realms, mystical creatures, and untamed woodlands. There were always armies popping up here and there while the call for adventurers was in high demand. It was dangerous for the common folk to travel or do tasks that covered larger distances, so adventurers were necessary.

There was a semi established independent military called the Monarch Knights that stretched from Larnwick all the way through Redwatch and Rothorn. Redwatch neighbored Larnwick and was in a civil war, which is what spurred on the need for the Monarch Knights in the first place. Most of the small towns governed themselves though, like Anfield.

"Good morning, class." Miss Koya, Our teacher, glided into the room effortlessly. Her steps were so fluid it always looked like she was floating by. She wore a long black dress and her blue hair was tied and pinned tight on top of her head. Some baby hairs escaped about her face, but she still looked as pristine as ever. Her violet eyes flicked over the class before she opened her old leather bound book.

"Can anyone tell me where we left off from before break?"

A quiet girl named Yuko raised her hand. She was the only girl in my class that I was taller than, only by an inch or so, but anything was worth bragging rights in my case. Her hair was also shorter than mine too, but contrasted mine in its bright blue hue. Yuko wasn't quiet because she was shy, however. She just seemed like she was too good to talk to anybody, and maybe she was. She had the highest marks in the class.

"Yes, Yuko."

"We were discussing the mystical creatures of the dark caves of Rothorn," Yuko said in her same as ever expressionless way.

"Very good. And more specifically?"

"The demons of the dark caves," she replied without missing a beat.

"Excellent as usual, Yuko." Miss Koya set her book on her desk before continuing. "Knowledge is power, young ladies, and knowing what you're up against is half the battle."

Rika and I exchanged a glance. It would be so cool to be an adventurer and see places like Rothorn or fight mystical creatures, but we knew we would never be able to do any of those things. Our place was there in Larnwick—to make the blades and armor of warriors or pluck the fresh wheat from the soil. Larnwick didn't even have a guild. You'd have to go all the way to Silkside or Meshela to find something like that.

"The demons of Rothorn are inactive for most of the year, but when the leaves fall and Ebris grows cold, that's where their slumber ends. They say once the winds of Glimmerhold freeze the land, the icy cold wakes the beasts, putting them in a fairly foul mood." Miss Koya chuckled. "That's assuming they have any other mood."

The class giggled at the quip.

"All jokes aside it is a bitter and nasty business dealing with the beasts. The guard of Rothorn is expertly trained to handle the situation, along with the help of the Monarch Knights if need be." Our teacher scanned our faces. "Do any of you know the proper way to dispatch a demon?"

The class was silent. Even Yuko didn't raise her hand that time.

"Prison magic," Miss Koya continued. "Pardon me. It was a bit of a trick question. The beasts are immortal, so all we can do is imprison them with mana and rituals for an extended period before they rise again."

"But, only a select few can manipulate prison magic," Rika interjected without raising her hand, but Miss Koya didn't look bothered.

"That's right. That's why in the big countries like Meshela and, especially Rothorn, they perform an aptitude test as soon as you turn eighteen."

"I've never heard of an aptitude test," I whispered to Rika. The confused look on her face said that she also never heard of it.

"They don't do the tests in small countries like Larnwick because there just isn't a need for it. With the number of prison mages Rothorn gains every year, they have enough to keep the demons at bay. However, if you ever find yourself in the city during aptitude season, give it a watch. It is quite amazing."