A Trip to the Mall!

Erika was two years old now. She was slowly learning the language of the world by the day, always listening closely to the radio nearby and absorbing as much information as she can.

Her mother was always happy with each surprise word she'll say everyday, it kind of became their thing. However, today there will be a change. She's prepared this for a year! This was something that has been sitting in the back burner ever since her mother had said it to her a year ago in her most vulnerable moment. So she cannot wait any further!

As always she was situated in her room with the door open, the difference from a year ago was that she wasn't stuck in a crib and was freely roaming around the room playing with various things and experimenting how her magic worked. It might not seem much but her body gets easily tired, her mother often founded her asleep on the floor multiple times because she overexerted herself. Which is also another reason why she wanted to change things up a bit today! Not only does the woman put her back to her crib, but she also tucks her in warmly then wake her up in time for dinner with a rain of kisses!

The determination that coursed through her veins became too much for her to just be remained seated so she stood up and began pacing around. The time read that it was almost time for lunch which should be her time to do her thing.

She continued pacing around the room as she waited for lunch to come around by. Although she eventually grew tired because her stubby little feet could only make her walk for so long.

Erika was about to play some of the wooden blocks her mom had given her last month when the same woman finally walked through the door and greeted her happily.

There was an immeasurable joy that bubbled up in Erika's chest as she ran toward her mother with her arms wide open. The woman was quick to receive and pull her in the air with a bit of lift off, earning laughter from the both of them.

Usually, her mother would start a rain of kisses all over Erika's face but the little girl had beaten her to it and began kissing her mother's face with a determined furrow of her eyebrows. Mom didn't let that slide though and her response was to fight fire with a stronger fire and doubled the amount of kisses on her daughter's cute face!

While Erika enjoyed the treatment, she was getting distracted! There was something else that she needed to do, and it had to be done now. She had practiced for a full year for this, and has only now mastered it enough that she can say it without too much stumble. It was now or never!

She stopped her mother's kisses by moving away. Being the patient and perfect being her mother was, she immediately stopped and looked at her with confusion laced with curiosity.

"Ma!" Erika exclaimed, suddenly grabbing both of her mother's cheeks. That was enough to cement her mother's quietness and observe what will happen next.

Now was her chance!... and yet she remained silent as well.

What was she doing? Why can't she get the words out? Was she... scared? No that doesn't make sense, it's just a two letter word phrase, why was she scared of saying that?! She had fell more Enemies than she was proud of and had been the reason why some empires had fallen, yet she trembled and became increasingly shy as she continued to stare into her mother's patient Ruby eyes that waited for her words to come.

'By the God's, how this world has already made a mess of me... to think I still have the ability to feel shyness of all things...'

Seeing silence, her mother decided to give her a little push. "Are you hungry, my dearest?"

"Yes!... Wait." Erika pointed at herself before she started taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down.

She really doesn't understand it. She felt so nervous that the only thing she could hear was the loud thumping of her heart trying to claw its way out of her chest.

"M-mahal kita..."

Her mother's eyes light up with both happiness and tears, and just like what had happened a year ago, the woman brought their foreheads together and started laughing with tears rolling down her eyes.

This time Erika wasn't so concerned about the tears and was happily giggling that she managed to do it without too many mistakes.

"Dios ko po, you're just full of surprises aren't you?" She started planting a rain of kisses all over Erika's face. "Tell you what, how about I'll take you to the mall today and you'll pick whatever toy you want, hmm?"

Erika's eyes sparkled at the prospect of a trip with her mother.

The woman laughed, "It's like you understand me, sometimes."

"Ma~!"

"You're just so cute! Come on, let's not waste any more time." She carried Erika to the nearby closet and opened it, revealing a closet full of baby clothes that Erika had yet to try more than half of it.

Erika already felt tired, knowing it would take a while for them to get to the mall if her mother was the one to choose her clothes. She said she won't waste any more time yet she knows that it will probably take them an hour to decide for Eirka's outfit, and another for her mother's. Maybe she said it so they could get a head start on the outfit choosing.

As long as it makes her mother happy, she'll have to put through it.

×××

When they finally arrived at the mall (it took 3 hours in total before they stepped out the house), Erika was taking everything in with a lot of excitement and a bit of catiousness.

While this was not her first time outside the house, it was however, her first time so far from her home. She was still not sure what kind of world she had managed to reincarnate and she wanted to take everything into consideration.

There were a lot of new things here however that weren't in her old world. Like the technology! In her old world there were still some form of technological advancements but her people weren't as reliant on it as with their magic. Based on her room alone there were a lot of stuff that weren't in her old world, like the lights. Usually they were made from crystals containing light magic. There was also the rectangular object that her mother used that she would often stuff to her face when lever they played, it makes a lot of noise and flashes and would keep her mother busy for long periods of time.

She would keep listing things but that would make that paragraph way too long for our liking.

In terms of the magic, however, there was also a stark difference. People don't cultivate their magic here, at least not consciously like how she does it. Her mother doesn't seem to exude an ounce of magic as well, like she doesn't have it. Which surprised her at first, since magic was the reason people were the main reason they were alive in her old world.

Maybe not having the Universe try to kill you with the air your breathe in is the reason that people can survive magic in this world. Its practically harmless!