Getting out of bed, Lumina could feel the silky cloth of her white nightgown brush past her legs as she went to look at the standing mirror in her room. Her face was completely fixed, and she almost couldn’t tell that she injured her shoulder. A small scar was left where Milli’s shield had originally skewered her. “Elrin’s healing is impressive as always.” She muttered to herself as she continued inspecting her body for any other scars or damage. One week had already passed since she had arrived home in her deathly state.
Happy that everything was back to normal, Lumina went about brushing her hair and tail before looking in her closet for clothes to wear. She couldn’t believe that she was actually going to wear normal clothes again. The past two years had been a living nightmare surviving with Milli in the wilds.
Standing in her room, Lumina began trying on a few different outfits, checking to see which one would fit her mood better. After about two or three changes in, she eventually settled on a dark blue skirt and white shirt with a wide brimmed hat that was designed to let her ears stick through.
She giggled with excitement as she finished getting her socks and shoes on before heading downstairs. She felt so free knowing that she didn’t have to deal with 2-hour work-out sessions in the morning followed by another 2 hours of combat training with Milli like she usually did since she was six years old.
On the first floor, Lumina found Eldin sitting in the kitchen finishing up his breakfast. A few strips of sausage and eggs were left on the table. Eldin was wearing his usual attire: pants, belts, boots, and a loose long sleeve shirt. She never understood why he wore two belts.
“You sure took your time this morning.” Eldin said as he finished off his juice and stood up. “Don’t forget. We need to head into Woodvale to buy some more supplies for the house today. Mom pretty much devoured everything this week.”
Lumina could see the surprise and slight annoyance in his face. “Of course! I’ve been wanting to head into town, but your dad was pretty strict on me taking time to rest.”
Eldin put his plate in the sink, “You seem rather cheerful today.” He turned on the faucet and began washing the dishes.
“Of course I am! I don’t have to go do morning training anymore! Not to mention, life feels different when you wake up in the morning and not have to worry if you are going to die today.”
With his dishes cleaned and dry, Eldin looked at her, “Did you really think you were going to die?” She gave him a knowing stare, “Yea. Sounds about right if you were training with my mom.” He leaned against a wall in the kitchen waiting for her to finish eating.
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Lumina ate the rest of the food on the table then went to the front door. Eldin quickly caught up with her and put on his dark blue mantle. His recently acquired brooch fitting in nicely with the rest of the intricate cloth.
“Got a new badge?” Lumina asked as she leaned in to get a closer look while poking it with her finger. “Just as you graduated from my mom’s training, I graduated from dad’s. I’m an Elementalist now.”
“Fancy. You went from a triangle to a cross.”
In the world of Ellos, badges are commonly used to denote an individual’s achievements. Concerning badges with wizards; A triangle superimposed on a 7-pointed star is awarded to those who pass an official test given by the RMA (Runefal Magic Academy). When a wizard demonstrates the ability to use 4 elements in a single spell, they are given the title Elementalist, and their triangle is changed to a cross.
The morning light poured into the entryway as Lumina opened the door. She walked outside and had the biggest smile on her face as she took in a deep breath. Despite her wolf heritage, Lumina did not have an increased sense of smell, her nose was as normal as any other humans.
Eldin closed the door and went to join her, “It’s weird, and yet refreshing, to have your optimism back around here.”
“I know. You and your dad can be too serious sometimes. You guys need to relax and kick back every now and then.” Lumina replied as she twirled about before walking off towards Woodvale gesturing for Eldin to follow along.
The sun was starting to reach its highest point as a few clouds passed overhead casting a large shadow across the wide, open field of grass they were standing in. From where they were standing, Lumina and Eldin were easily able to see Woodvale off in the distance. Closer to them were other houses that dotted the outskirts of the town. Neighboring farmers that needed extra space. Smoke was rising from the top of a few businesses in town as people constantly entered and exited the walled village.
Logs from the lumberyard outside were being processed before getting stored or exported to other towns to sell. Such was the daily life and trade of Woodvale. A few of the townsfolk wearing armor and carrying spears were walking about both inside and out, maintaining order and peace.
Lumina didn’t miss the time she spent in Woodvale’s militia. Standing around all day waiting for something to happen. Standing in formation and doing training drills. Milli had threatened, or in her terms, ‘persuaded’ the captain of the militia to take Lumina on as a cadet when she was 14 years old. She couldn’t help but let her mind wander back to her earlier years. Back when Milli first started her ridiculous training, back when Eldin also started training next to her when he was old enough. The two had become extremely fit from the rigorous workouts they had suffered under his mom at an early age.
Eldin poked her in the side with his elbow while walking next to her, “I’m assuming you’ll want to drop by and greet a few people while you are in town.”
“Of course! I cannot wait to see everyone again. It has been two years after all.”
“Even after you decided to leave town and conduct your suicide training with my mom?”
Lumina’s pace slowed down and her ears and tail drooped a little. “I’ve already accepted the fact that I can’t live a typical life in Woodvale. But I still have friends.”
The two continued on towards Woodvale in silence, the sun’s rays giving off a gentle warmth. The sounds of an active village broke the silence as they neared. One of the guards at the front gate began to stare. He signaled a few others near the town entrance. By the time she and Eldin had reached the gate, three other guards had already arrived.