First meeting with Sylvia

POV Arthur leywin

A warm feeling flooded my body. Noticing it, I made a great effort to open my eyes and found myself surrounded by towering trees and hanging vines, lying on my back. In front of me, my brother, despite the traces of blood all over his body, was using the same magic he had learned from our mother to heal me.

This warm feeling pierced my heart, leading me to reflect on my past life. As an orphan raised in a camp to train duelists, I lived twenty-eight years without experiencing love or dating. I spent my entire life in solitude, chasing the idea of being the strongest.

For what? For admiration? For money? For glory? Despite having had all that, never in a million years would I have chosen those achievements over what I have now. A loving mother who cares deeply for me, a reliable father despite his simplicity.

And then there's my older brother, who, although he often teases me, shows genuine concern whenever something happens to me. He didn't hesitate to step between an attack and me, or to shield me to cushion my fall and prevent serious injury. Even now, with most of his wounds still unhealed, he continues trying to take care of me.

"Is this what having a family means?" I thought silently, only for Alex's voice to wake me the next moment.

ꟷIt seems you're awake ꟷhe said, as he took my backpack and pulled out some dried berries and nuts that Mother had packed. ꟷGiven our condition, it's best to eat these small things; when we're a bit better, we'll eat what I have stored in my bag.

My throat, surprised by the sudden influx of food, responded by almost choking me with a cough. Noticing this, I saw Alex quickly take out a water canteen from his bag and hand it to me to use.

ꟷThank you so much ꟷI said sincerely, looking at my brother.

ꟷWe're brothers, you don't need to thank me ꟷhe replied, while pulling out some vests from his backpack as it was starting to get cold. ꟷHere, put this on and we need to find a safe place to spend the night, as it will be dangerous in our condition to stay here.

Taking the vest, I put it on without thinking too much about how he had packed so many things in his backpack, as the cold wind had arrived.

I looked around, wanting to see the bandit who fell with us, concerned that if we were alive, he might be too. But to my great surprise, I saw a completely mangled corpse a few meters away from us. A feeling of disgust flooded my body, and I couldn't help but vomit everything I had eaten.

After a while, once I had recovered a bit, I approached the conjurer's corpse, trying to avoid looking at the gruesome wounds that had caused his death.

Seeing the knife I was looking for, I quickly pulled it out of the corpse's thigh. I wasn't sure how long we'd have to stay here, so having a weapon was crucial.

ꟷOh! You're awake.

In an instant, I got into a combat stance and moved closer to Alex, who looked at me doubtfully, as if unsure of what I was doing. But now wasn't the time to pay attention to that. Knife in hand, I looked towards the corpse. I swear to God, if the corpse was the one talking to me... A melodic laugh made me look around to find the source of the voice.

ꟷDon't worry. You don't have to worry about that corpse coming back to life.

The voice that seemed to come out of nowhere was solemn and had a light, almost regal sensation. It had a powerful and resonant sound, yet was relaxing and soft, making you want to trust it.

ꟷWhat's wrong, Art? ꟷAlex asked me, puzzled.

ꟷDidn't you hear that voice? ꟷI asked, still doubtful, only to see him shake his head. Still on guard, I managed to murmur an inelegant response. ꟷWho are you?

ꟷI'm the one who saved your brother and you from that fall. As for more details, you'll discover them as soon as you reach my abode.ꟷ The voice seemed very confident that I would try to go to her house.

As if reading my thoughts, she added:

ꟷI am the only one who can get you and your brother back home from this place, so I advise you to hurry.

This snapped me back to my senses. She was right! I needed to get back home! Mother! Father! The Twin Horns! My little brother! Are they alright? Did they make it safely to Xyrus? If the voice could really get us back home, I had no choice but to find her.

ꟷBrother, there's no one near us. Why are you in a defensive stance against a corpse? ꟷAlex asked, looking at me like I was an idiot.

Hearing his question, I didn't know how to respond, so I decided to ignore him for now and focus on the voice.

"Um, dear, uh... Miss Voice? Could you tell me how to get to your location so I can honor you with my presence?"

The voice let out another soft laugh before answering.

ꟷDon't you think it's rude to call a lady 'Sir'? And yes, I will show you the way.

"Ahh... So it's a lady," I thought. Immediately, my vision shifted to that of a bird. It flew off towards a location to the east, which seemed almost a day away. Just before my vision returned to normal, it brightened.

ꟷI recommend that you set out immediately. It will be much safer if you travel during the day rather than at night,ꟷ the voice said kindly.

ꟷYes, Ma'am!ꟷ I exclaimed, then turned to look at my brother, who was taking out some bread from his backpack and spreading a bit of cheese on it. Seeing him, I couldn't help but frown, as he had only given me a few dried nuts earlier. I quickly took the bread he had made and started heading in the direction indicated by the voice.

ꟷHey, that's my food,ꟷ my brother said as he ran after me, trying to catch up.

As I ate the bread, I couldn't help but laugh. This feeling was very pleasant. The stress and worry disappeared for a moment, and we really seemed like two carefree children playing.

Of course, neither of us used mana to reinforce our bodies; we simply ran while laughing, and when we got tired, Alex took out more delicious food from his backpack, which made me doubt myself.

But he didn't seem to care and just enjoyed the food, so I decided to ignore it since it was really convenient to have the necessary food.

As we continued walking, I heard the faint sound of bubbling water and, with some doubts, headed in that direction, followed by Alex, where we found a narrow stream.

Before I could react, I saw Alex running towards the stream to jump into it. Our clothes were all torn, with traces of blood and exuding a horrible smell, so I quickly followed him to bathe.

After bathing, when I was about to get the clothes drying on a rock, my brother stopped me and took out new clothes from his backpack, consisting of two pairs of pants, two shirts, and some vests.

Although the clothes weren't completely clean, they were 100 times better than what we had before, so without thinking, we both started dressing.

ꟷKu, ku, ku... How carefree!

Instinctively, my hands covered my precious area as I hunched my back, trying to make myself as small as possible.

ꟷWhat's wrong? ꟷmy brother asked me again, looking at me strangely upon noticing my action.

He was unfazed, dressing calmly, unaware that someone was watching us at that moment.

ꟷDon't worry, there's not much to see,ꟷ the voice said.

I shivered, feeling almost as if the Voice had winked at me. How rude! My pride... Growling, I almost wanted to argue that my body hadn't fully developed yet, but I decided to ignore the Voice and put on my clothes.

ꟷOhhh...! Don't pout. I'm sorry,ꟷ said the Voice, stifling a laugh.

After bathing, my brother took out more food from his backpack, this time small cookies that Mother had made a few days ago. While eating, I noticed him taking out a canteen with a design I hadn't seen before.

After examining it for a moment, he uncapped it and smelled it before taking a big gulp and remaining still for a while until he collapsed on the ground. Worried, I quickly approached and took the canteen in my hands. After uncapping it, a sour smell hit my nostrils, quickly revealing its content: alcohol.

Looking at my brother lying on the ground, I couldn't help but frown. "This must be Adam's canteen," I thought after noticing a small note with his name. Then I shook my head. "Still as careless and curious as ever."

I took the canteen and emptied its contents into the nearby river, then refilled it with water.

Looking around, I began to wonder where I was. Since I had fallen east of the mountain, I should be near the elven domain. I didn't think I was in the Elshire Forest since there was no mist around. Was I in the Beast Glades? No. There were no mana beasts... I had seen a couple of rabbits and birds, but nothing more.

Perhaps the strangest thing I had noticed about this place was the abundance of mana.

After a light meal, I organized my belongings and took my brother, who laughed occasionally. "Great, I have an alcoholic brother at such a young age," I complained inwardly.

Despite the lack of a defined path, the journey was uncomplicated, with few obstacles and terrain to navigate. As I approached the location of the Voice, the mana density became more abundant and thick.

Despite the temptation to stop and absorb the mana around me, I continued walking. Training at that moment was not a priority. I needed to get back home.

Halfway there, fortunately, Alex woke up, which significantly eased my journey. However, what bothered me was that his first question was about the canteen. His reaction upon learning that I had emptied it and refilled it with water was quite funny. He wanted to go to the lake behind us to find it, but I stopped him and scolded him several times until he finally decided to continue on the path.

This provoked laughter from the mysterious voice, which seemed to be watching us.

We finally reached the area where the Voice had directed me, but I couldn't see anything except a mound of rocks surrounded by a group of trees.

ꟷI'm glad to know you arrived safely,ꟷ the Voice said confidently, as if she already knew we would make it.

ꟷBrother, did you hear that? ꟷAlex exclaimed, surprised, while looking around, his amber eyes filled with curiosity.

"It seems now she let my brother hear her voice too," I thought inwardly before greeting. ꟷNice to meet you, uh... Madam? Madam Rocks?

But my response was met with laughter from Alex.

ꟷHahaha, brother, do you really think the rock is talking to you?ꟷ he said, laughing while holding his stomach.

ꟷI am not a rock, nor a mound of them. There is a crevice in the back of the rocks. That's where I am,ꟷ the Voice said, also containing her laughter a bit.

Hearing her and my brother's laughter, I couldn't help but feel quite embarrassed, so I quickly entered the crevice, ignoring their laughter.

ꟷFollow the crevice, but reinforce yourselves with mana before entering.

Without a second thought, I slipped through the crevice easily while gathering mana to reinforce my body. I expected to step onto some kind of platform, but instead, I immediately plunged into a black hole.

"I suppose this was why she told me to reinforce myself with mana," was the thought that occurred to me as I fell, screaming with all the might my four-year-old lungs could muster.

But I was quickly grabbed by Alex, who was also falling with me, but he had reinforced his body with mana until we finally reached the ground.

ꟷFinally, we meet, little ones.

I felt myself pale as my eyes and mouth opened wide. Feeling dizzy, my legs gave out, and I fell onto my sore rear, staring at the person who had helped me all this time.

ꟷW-What are you?ꟷ I asked, stuttering.

But this question was followed by a small tap on the head, given by my brother, who quickly stepped in front of me and bowed apologetically.

POV Alex

Upon noticing Arthur's exaggerated reaction, I couldn't help but shake my head internally. Quickly, I gave him a soft but firm tap to snap him out of his daze and prevent him from continuing his rude behavior. I then stepped forward to apologize to the person who had helped us.

ꟷI apologize for my younger brother's rude reaction ꟷI said with a respectful bowꟷ. Thank you very much for assisting us in getting to this place.

After my words of apology, I turned to my brother with a stern gesture.

ꟷBrother, this lady helped us avoid a serious accident when we fell off the cliff. You should show her gratitude and courtesy. Moreover, judging someone by their appearance is neither appropriate nor fair.

My brother seemed to snap out of his daze and blushed, then proceeded to apologize as well.

ꟷThank you for everything you have done for my brother and me, and for what you will do. If there is any way I can repay you, I will do whatever is within my power ꟷhe responded more politely.

The woman looked at us with curiosity and asked:

ꟷHow do you know it was I who helped you in the fall?

I looked at her with curiosity. She easily stood over ten meters tall, sitting cross-legged with one arm lazily holding her head on a throne roughly carved from irregular stones.

Her piercing red eyes stared at me menacingly, but there was an oddly calming quality to them. Two enormous horns protruded from the sides of her head and arched down and around her skull, curving near her forehead, reminding me of something akin to a crown.

She had two fangs protruding from her lips and her body was clad in black armor with no decoration or adornments, yet it gleamed as if it were a priceless treasure.

ꟷIf it weren't for someone like you, we would have perished from falling off the cliff, along with the conjurer who was accompanying us. Also, someone had to have taken care of our more severe wounds after the accident ꟷI explained, recalling the moment I woke upꟷ. Moreover, noticing my brother's strange behavior while we walked; he seemed to be following someone invisible, and then we saw you.

She nodded with a comprehending smile, seeming impressed.

ꟷIt seems you're much smarter than I thought, little one ꟷshe said, then looked at little Artꟷ. As for what I am, I will say nothing more than what you see.

ꟷIt will take me some time to open a dimensional rift to transport you home, so until then, you must be patient and wait here. Special roots grow here. You can live off them until I am done.

While listening to her, I couldn't help but use my magical sense to observe the surroundings. I was quite surprised to notice the large number of glowing points, which were mana points of various elements, slowly approaching my body as my abdomen absorbed them.

I also couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of the view and the landscape.

ꟷAlso, do not worry. I am not expecting any favors or gratitude. I am simply doing this for my own amusement. Come! Sit here, closer to me, and keep me company. I haven't spoken to anyone in a long time ꟷshe said, patting a part of her throne for us to sit on.

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