Blades sharpened.

  Bags strapped, tools holstered.

  Equipment check. Shoulders loosened.

  Boots on.

  The Ranger leaves his nest once again.

  Another day, another hunt.

  Gaviel's thoughts rarely strayed.

  Focus. Meditation. He has long since learned to empty his mind in long treks and when waiting.

  No doubt. No deviation. Only purpose.

  He isn't a soldier, no.

  He is a ranger. A protector, a hunter. Has been one for more than forty years.

  Compared to his peers, Gaviel is actually quite young. Still youthful and full of vitality.

  Unlike his peers, Gaviel is the most battle-hardened. Whilst many elves keep their youthful disposition and mannerisms after centuries of life. Gaviel quickly grew to become the quintessential ranger. Someone who is sharp, agile. Like cold steel blade drawn with purpose.

  Some used to mock him. Said he was the all-to-serious junior, who is too overzealous at his chosen profession.

  They were right, it was the truth after all.

  Then Gaviel rose to become a captain, and outshone everyone else in skill and dedication.

  What motivated him?

  Some would argue about the parents he could not visit anymore, revenge. Or perhaps something more aligned with duty, loyalty to their home. Mayhaps something more worldly, like the thrill of the hunt.

  Maybe they are right.

  However, Gaviel would answer with: It's the one thing he is good at.

  Other than menial physical labour. He never was very good with other things.

  Magic? Very cool, but most of it went over his head. Craftsmanship? He can make and maintain most of his own tools with good quality, but compared to the elves dedicated to craft his own skills fall short. He never was the type to do intellectual work or join with the singers and musicians.

  Gaviel doesn't remember much of the reasons behind the path he took.

  He is good at hunting and foraging. Delving into the dark depths of the forest has become trivial to him.

  …And he would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy having a delicious meal with the ingredients he often brings back.

  ….

  Gaviel's thoughts rarely strayed.

  But as of lately a certain sharp-eyed kid has been noisily barging into his thoughts.

  More often than not said kid raided him for sweets and stories.

  Elven Children are raised semi-communally. Parents, guardians, come and go, with their own short eternities to live. Some stay longer than others, and forge long lasting relationships with their offspring and the other younglings. Others let themselves be taken to where the wind leads them, and entrust their offspring to others after taking the minimum required time they are obligated to raise them as their progenitors.

  It's not as if the latter abandoned their children. Simply put, elves can be somewhat free-spirited at times, to the detriment of others around them. They still care for their offspring, just not in the way a guardian is.

  This is one of the reasons why there is such a distinction between a "parent" and a "guardian".

  The children, as a collective, have many guardians, sometimes they are also their own natural parents, sometimes they are someone else entrusted to take care of the younger generation by someone else.

  In this case, It is rare for an elven couple to create such deep, craving connections with constant presence like Samyra and Clauren have with Syuufarin.

  Instead of wanting to be "guardians", that couple sought out to become "parents" to that child instead.

  Gaviel liked the kid, but he tilted more towards the "guardian" side of the spectrum.

  For all that he cared for Syuufarin, he could not think of himself raising her as if she were his own.

  Daivette's children are raised semi-communally. Gaviel's upbringing didn't have the same sort of relationship Samyra has with Syuufarin.

  So, just as many have done before. Gaviel entrusted that couple to take care of the cherished child.

  …

  It was certainly a strange thing.

  Despite every parent or guardian wishing for their wards to become independent. To grow and to one day take flight.

  The one time a lone child that does not belong to anyone appears… Everyone has become reluctant to part ways with that one.

  Syuufarin is not a fragile flower that needs protection.

  Gaviel has trained her himself after all. He knows her strengths better than anyone.

  But just like that same couple that fusses around the sweet-toothed child. He finds himself hesitating to let her go.

  The trials.

  No matter how much he trains and puts that girl through tests, it never feels like it will be enough.

  More skill. More strength.

  Until she surpasses even him.

  Until her power is so undeniable that he will have no choice but to acquiesce her when the time of her departure comes.

  …

  Complete silence.

  Breath held in anticipation. Muscles tightened;

  Breath out.

  Loose.

  In turn, a beast takes its last breath.

  Gaviel's thoughts rarely strayed.

  But this time, he couldn't help himself but chuckle at the image of a certain little girl's wide eyed wonder that appears when he brings back good food back.

  ——— –– –– -- - -

  [5 years after Syuufarin's arrival.]

  I finally, finally, became proficient at archery.

  Nowhere as good as anyone else though. And nothing compared to Gaviel's skill. But at very least I can hit something that's not too far away from me with decent enough accuracy.

  If the target is stationary, that is.

  Gaviel said it's "barely adequate", and tripled my training.

  On the good side though, when it comes to knowledge about the forest I'm very good. After countless hours studying and some… uh, hands-on practice, that weren't without their fair share of incidents, I can assume with confidence that I won't die carelessly in the wilderness.

  I haven't hunted anything yet, the beasts inside the forest are… scary. And there's only so much I can do being in a tiny immature body that hasn't developed yet. Yes, I'm strong, but my short legs and arms are a negative multiplier compared to adults.

  But I'm not a midget anymore! Still small and looking very much like a child… But I grew a little as time passed. I'm even taller than Sedia now.

  …The fact that I will keep growing while she will stay a kid for a long time is a can of worms better kept closed.

  My magic skills advanced significantly better than what I learned with Gaviel. Granted, I can practice magic more easily inside the village, and most of what Gaviel taught me is only applicable inside the forest so there were not many opportunities to actually put those skills to the test.

  And I'm still just a beginner on intermediate spells… I really underestimated how hard magic can be. People go years and years studying one thing just to get one spell right, and even then that is with material from past researchers. I can only imagine what the past trailblazers mages had to go through.

  Even one advanced tier spell is akin to attempting to get a whole textbook inside your head. And that is just the spell. The foundations, skills, technique, and everything else needed to even start to learn advanced spells are things that take a lifetime of dedication.

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  Only then I realized how stupidly exceptional it is that I got up to intermediate level in just short three years. I know I sort of cheated with my compound experience from my life as a human, but in the eyes of everyone else I am some sort of prodigy.

  And now…

  That title is going to be put to test.

  ——— –– –– -- - -

  There was no grand ceremony or bated breath.

  One day Gaviel simply said: "You are ready."

  No warning, just like that.

  …Though I figured the end had been getting closer.

  We had been repeating the same routine for a while. Covering the same subjects and skills twice over, triple checking that I knew the inside and out of all the things he'd taught me.

  The final thing Gaviel taught me is the elven's version of "physical reinforcement technique".

  。。。

  "...By now you should have a feel for aura, in your combat training and spars I have used it many times against you. Now it is time for you to learn how to do it yourself. First, become one with the wind…"

  Gaviel's explanations then turned a lot more abstract. He used a lot of metaphors and flowery language like "attune yourself with the flow", "spirit", and "Your body is your mind, not an extension of it."

  A lot of it went over my head. It felt like trying to decipher a needlessly complicated poem.

  "So… you are telling me to do a magic fart?"

  "—No…" Gaviel sighed, and went on to explain it again.

  I listened again with furrowed brows.

  "...A very refined… and pressurized magic fart?"

  Gaviel let out a long, tired sigh. "If thinking of it that way helps you grasp it… then so be it."

  …

  I call it reinforcement. But that is not really the best name to use for it. The precise meaning is lost in translation. It is closer to a concept of "mastery of the body" rather than "muscle boosting".

  The first image that comes when thinking about "body enhancement" is something like making muscles stronger and increasing strength by channeling some mystery energy.

  What the elves use does not work quite exactly like that.

  The technique itself doesn't enhance strength at all, if it does it is barely noticeable. Using won't make someone be able to lift more weight. Or maybe I am just doing it wrong.

  It is how Gaviel and the trio of rangers were able to travel by jumping from tree to tree that time all the way back when I was being rescued. It looked way more impressive than it actually is. In reality they are able to jump a little higher, run with less strain on the body to traverse long distances.

  But they aren't going to pick up a sword, say some sort of embarrassing line like "heaven splitting technique" and slice a tree in half anytime soon. It's not that sort of power.

  So, "aura"...

  What exactly is this new, mysterious energy?

  Honestly, to me it just feels like magic energy, "mana".

  Though Gaviel disagrees and told me it's a completely different thing.

  I asked Granny about it, and she said it is "What muscle-heads learned instead of magic."

  What I understood about it is that, if magic is using energy through "vision" then aura would be "breathing".

  By the very nature of its applications and usage it comes more naturally and intuitively compared to the mental gymnastics that spells require.

  Maybe mana and aura are one and the same, or maybe they are actually separate pools of energy that work independently. Or perhaps aura isn't even an "energy" at all. It skirts more alongside spiritualism rather than a tangible skill. It's difficult to tell.

  The one true thing is that both mana and aura have distinct presences, so to speak. In my experience, it's difficult to discern if the source of mana and aura is the same.

  When using mana, casting spells, it feels as if I am spilling the metaphorical energy out of my body, I become a conduit, my whole body feels oddly tingly and the spell matrix "pulls" this energy.

  When using aura, it feels like grasping with nothingness limbs and finding something squishy that feels good to knead.

  '...Hearing myself I can guess why Gaviel had so much difficulty explaining things.'

  It is like trying to move your arm without actually moving your arm. Or giving yourself goosebumps on command. Or yawning with your spine instead of your mouth.

  Gaviel described that each person perceives and learns differently, the best he could do is guide someone.

  It is a much more esoteric and physical power, more so than mana.

  Since I had just learned about it I am not very proficient compared to magic.

  But unlike magic, where one needs to study and understand relentlessly. Aura, in this case the elven's technique of body enhancement, the only way to become better at it is to practice and refine your skill. Which is why it is called "technique" rather than a school of knowledge.

  For a moment I honestly started wondering if I had gotten isekai'd into a cultivation world instead of a fantasy one.

  。。。

  A very odd thing was pointed out to me.

  People either become mages or warriors. But never both.

  "Aura" and "Magic". They use entirely different perspectives. If a ranger were to try to teach a mage how to use aura the mage would answer: "Hah?... What nonsense are you talking about?"

  And, theoretically, if a warrior studied enough they should be able to also cast spells. Magic is visualization first and foremost after all. But there have been little to no cases of such things. And even then their ability and efficiency was so abysmal that they could not do anything beyond the simplest of beginner spells, and after that they lost interest in magic.

  Call it complacency, or resignation. Mages and Warriors don't attempt to learn the other's skills much if at all. Why do the dishes when you have a dishwasher? Why use a chainsaw when you are better with an axe?

  In sum, they are different skills for different kinds of people.

  'I wonder if magic swordsmen exist in the world outside…'

  Anyhow. The fact that I, not without some struggle, managed to learn both is a big deal. Though it isn't anything fancy.

  Gaviel's own mastery probably makes him able to do some crazy stuff I have yet to see. Compared to him, the most I can do with the so-called "aura" is jump a little higher than usual and run a little faster.

  Though, It is frustrating that I can't just look up the answer on how to get better at it in a book like I can with magic, like Gaviel said to me, the only way to get good is through practice.

  ——— –– –– -- - -

  I find myself being smothered from both sides.

  Samyra whines wistfully. "I don't want to let her go!..." She is hugging Clauren.

  "Now, now, we have discussed this already." Clauren sighs. He is hugging Samyra.

  "..." I give a dead-fish stare to Gaviel that just stands there watching. I am trapped in between the two, like a sandwich.

  The news about me going to attempt to challenge the trials spreaded fast.

  'Nobody has said anything about what actually happens in the trials… though I also didn't go out of my way to ask questions.'

  Everyone came to Clauren's house to see me out.

  Gaviel is patiently waiting by the door. If there was anything that needed to be said he had already done so in the past.

  "I can't believe you are already leaving!" Sedia is angry at me that I am going so soon. "I thought we would do lots of fun things together! But now you are going away!"

  Her feelings were odd, one childish side made her whine and complain for me to stay longer, the other, weathered by her many years of life despite being a child in elf standards, knew well that there is no stopping me. So she made her thoughts known that she didn't like it at all. But although she complained she did not try to force me.

  In a way, she is very similar to Samyra.

  "Just you wait! I'll catch up someday!" Sedia promises to me.

  "If you did your homework properly you would not need to catch up to her so much." Granny Piyo remarks. Making Sedia pout. She turns to me to say something but pauses.

  She looks at me with an indiscernible gaze. "...Syuufarin though… She is an anomaly. You should worry more about yourself rather than try doing what she does."

  "Hey!" I protest.

  It's true that I had a streak of overzealous drive to get better at magic, both because it was genuinely fun and my depressive born obsession…

  '—But why are you looking at me like I am some sort of irredeemable reprobate?! What did I do wrong!?'

  We all bantered for a while.

  Then Gaviel led me to the gates.

  ——— –– –– -- - -

  It felt longer than it should have been, and at the same time it feels like there wasn't enough time.

  'Thus, may the Trials begin…'

  —Is what I wanted to say while striking a cool pose.

  But actually it isn't all that big a deal. It doesn't happen often, for the ones taking the trial it is a big accomplishment, but for most other people it feels like "Oh? That person is already graduating? Good for them."

  This carefree attitude is common. Usually they do the trials in batches, when the kids are around 80 years old and have matured a bit. There even is a whole ceremony. But In my case, I am an exception to the rule.

  And above being an exception, I am also a figure many people are paying attention to.

  Maybe for me, a foreigner and a very special case amongst the elves, along with being from another race. It set a strange sense of an exquisite limited-time event for everyone.

  Since new things and change come very slowly if at all to Daivette, my wish to embark on a journey made its rounds of gossip, and then all of sudden I found myself becoming a mini-celebrity amongst the small population.

  It didn't help that in my first few days I went around pleasing everyone in various ways.

  Granted, it was not exactly something I'd done with a pure heart. But the first impression and good intentions got stuck in everyone's mind.

  So I got completely blindsided when I saw a lot of people, too many people, loitering around the gate when I was going to leave.

  "Where did all these people come from?!" I hide behind Gaviel.

  If I didn't know better I wouldn't be able to tell that Gaviel was as equally surprised. "It seems you are famous. Congratulations."

  "But why??"

  –I said that with incredulity, but deep down I had some idea of why.

  "Hmm," Gaviel closed his eyes for a moment. "Perhaps because you are a very good girl, there are a lot of people you have helped after all." he said with a straight face. "Many people regard you as a miniature saint."

  "But why?!??" I repeat myself with double the incredulity.

  Gaviel raises a brow. Confused "You don't think yourself worthy of their praise?" He asks, half accusatory, half concerned.

  We passed through the crowd together, they cheered and gave me words of encouragement.

  — "Good luck!" — "Be careful!" — "God's blessings be with thee" — "Why did you even bring me here?" — "Shut up Rand!" — "Bring something good would ya?" — "Don't forget your towels!" — "Don't die." —

  I recognize many of the faces in the crowd.

  I shake my head. "W-well… It's nice I guess, b-but I don't think I am that much of a nice person." I had been overeager and kind to a fault during my first years, but those behaviors weren't pure at all. Rather, they were fueled by much darker motives and fear. "I can't believe someone like me is the reason that so many people gathered here today."

  "And why is that?"

  Pausing for a minute, I answer. "I am a very selfish person. I didn't help them out of kindness. Rather, I had been repaying the debt I owed to you for saving me. Other times, to satisfy my own curiosity. Or because I sought something in return."

  Gaviel thought to himself that keeping your word and repaying debts are good virtues to have. Though now he realizes that there is this way of viewing those virtues too.

  "Then, it was good selfishness."

  "What do you mean by that?"

  "Does the outcome of your actions change? In the end, the result is the same. You can't convince them to not be grateful." In fact, Gaviel felt that if Syuufarin told them the same things they would increase their praise twofold.

  He felt the same after all. Syuufarin should be more confident in herself, but even after the few years he spent tutoring her and getting to know her, Gaviel hasn't been able to change how she views herself.

  His words rang true. They applied as much to me as they did to the villagers.

  Despite my feelings or my thoughts. I had been grateful beyond compare, that is an undeniable truth. My value of kindness may be measured in cost and favors inside my head, I could guess why I'd grown to be like this.

  In the end, good deeds remain good deeds.

  I remained silent for a long while after that.

  ——— –– –– -- - -

  The gate.

  The name is a little of a misowner, there is no door, or building around it. It's just a tunnel that goes under the village's barrier. Big enough to fit around a dozen people side by side with a low ceiling. With a small stream of water that cuts the path in two towards the left side.

  Walking behind gaviel I brace myself as I cross the invisible threshold.

  There's… nothing.

  That memorable feeling of having my bones pushed through a curtain of needles is gone.

  '...'

  Even my thoughts were speechless. I silently wondered how the mystery gate functions.

  We cross the gate, beyond the walls, through the fog.

  Gaviel addresses me.

  "Your task is to survive, return in a week…"

  He turns quiet while looking at me. "Preferably unscathed."

  "That's it?"

  "Yes."

  "Nothing else? Really?"

  "..." He thinks for a moment. "Clauren has given me a list of reagents and herbs to gather after learning of this expedition. You may help if you wish to, but it is unrelated to the trial." Gaviel shows me a paper slip with a bunch of scribbles on it.

  'Ah, that makes sense I guess.' I nod. "If I come across them I'll pick them up."

  Clauren's job often needs plants that are easier to find in the forest. There's a limit to what he can cultivate inside a greenhouse. He taught me how to identify them and how to use them to make potions. I never had the experience of having to identify them alone, much less in the forest, so this could be an opportunity to test my skills.

  A beat of silence.

  Gaviel hesitates, then gingerly rests his gloved hand on top of my head.

  "Be careful."

  "I will."

  I turn around to head deeper into the forest.

  "I am going."

  "Yes."

  "..." I stand still, frozen. I close my eyes and take deep breaths.

  "..." Gaviel patiently waits.

  'I believed that I got over it. So much for that…' I sigh internally.

  Denial. Acceptance. Either way, the forest is scary. Terrifying. Just standing here makes me feel like crying.

  I gulp down, feeling like a ball is inside my throat.

  My hands shake.

  It's been 5 years. Yet still I'm affected by the trauma the forest gave me.

  Cold, wet nights curling myself for warmth. The dull ache of hunger. Disgusting taste that lingered for days in my mouth from trying to survive on what looked even vaguely edible. Madness. Insanity. Despair. Clinging desperately to any glimmer of hope.

  'It's scary. It's dark.'

  I'm not the sort of brave person that can conquer just like that.

  Hiding. Running. Fighting tooth and nail for survival. Bones broken and blood splattered. Splinters deep inside my fingers. Trembling hands tightly gripping shards of rock. A fake, forced smile and telling myself it will be ok. Tricking myself into thinking it isn't all so bad.

  Not living, just surviving.

  'But I don't want to turn back.'

  I slap my cheeks. The sharp noise drowns the silence.

  'I'm scared. But I'm also stubborn. I'm scared, and that's fine. I'm scared to the point that my knees feel weak and I want to turn away and run. I'm scared, but I'm not that fragile.'

  If I can't be courageous, then I will drown my fear with my ambition. Outweigh it with desire. I did it once before whilst lost in the dark, I can do it once again. Stubbornly tell myself:

  – You can do it.

  – Prove your own self wrong.

  – Quiver in overwhelming fear. Yet regardless of it, pierce the veil like warcry.

  'I want to see a dragon and ride its back. I want to meet a cool dwarf warrior. I want to see what religions exist out there and their churches. I want to travel and taste all kinds of different foods. I want to sightsee ancient ruins and mysterious places. I want to explore the world and go on an adventure.'

  One by one I recite all the things I fantasised about, things that aren't mere fantasy in this world. The selfish and childish reasons I fought and toiled everyday to one day achieve.

  – Step forward.

  I enter the forest with renewed vigor.

  'Once more… unto the breach!'

  ——— –– –– -- - -

  Gaviel patiently waits.

  He watches Syuufarin hesitate right at the edge of where the forest starts and the village's perimeter ends.

  He watches her close her eyes while trembling, and reopen then with fire shining through them.

  He watches her as she disappears amidst the trees and bushes.

  For long minutes, maybe an hour. Gaviel stayed where he stood in silence.

  A hand lands on his shoulder. Throwing him out of his stupor.

  "You know captain, if you want to go nobody is stopping you." A ranger tells him.

  Behind him were two other people, a three man team going on another expedition as always.

  Gaviel shakes his head. "Doing so would be detrimental to the trial. I do not wish to interfere."

  The rangers share a look with each other.

  The trial has three stages, one of the forest, another of the mind, and lastly the body. In the few generations in which this tradition has been perpetuated at Daivette it isn't uncommon for the guardian of the trial candidate to secretly accompany them to make sure they return safely. Nobody ever says anything about it and people avoid telling the open secret to the younglings.

  So that Gaviel of all people, who grew a not small reputation of being the sort that doesn't express their feelings outwardly but that strongly cares for the girl like a strongly protective fowl-beast, isn't going to do that is strange.

  "I've trained her myself, and the skills Clauren and Piyo have imparted upon her are not to be underestimated either." Gaviel says. "I trust her."

  "...But you are worried."

  Gaviel crosses his arms and closes his eyes in contemplation. A beat of quiet passes.

  "...I am." He admits, fingers systematically tapping on his elbow. A rare sign of restlessness."This is… new to me."

  The trio of rangers share a round of chuckles. "Never thought i'd see our stoic and serious captain nervous."

  "We could shadow her for you if you want."

  "...No," Gaviel shakes his head. "More likely than not, she would notice your approach. And although she would not mention it, I am unsure if she would be assuaged or offended by your presence."

  "Eh?! But we can be very sneaky when we want to, how'd she spot us?" The ranger shouts in shock.

  Gaviel chuckles in turn. "Her hearing is… frighteningly good. In fact all of her senses, with exception of vision, are vastly superior in ways I still find myself without words to explain. She already had plenty of experience herself from the forest, I merely honed her awareness to a level where she cannot be caught off-guard again."

  "Oh yeah… I forgot that she actually came from outside for a moment."

  "She really fit in, didn't she?" The other ranger said. "It feels like she has been part of our village all along."

  "I hope she returns safely."

  Gaviel huffs a sigh. "Me too… Me too."

  ——— –– –– -- - -

  Somewhere close, far away, right beside you, with enough distance for nobody to notice.

  "Ho?~" Muffled feminine giggles fill the dark. "Our little birdie is finally leaving the nest??"

  Right beneath her a massive shadow shook itself awake. The rippling vibrations shaking the figure's body.

  "Let's spice things up a little, shall we? darling~"

  ——— –– –– -- - -

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  Today’s Shower Quote: “Everyone who works hard is a warrior” — Eisen, Sousou no Frieren