I Woke Up In A Completely Different World!

That makes 16 mock battles today. It"s pushing me to my limits.

Young Mi has been teaching me her Ice element. It"s been coming along slowly, but I am glad to be learning such an element that"s supposedly extinct.

Young Mi: "What is Frozen Ward?"

Steven: "A defensive Ice spell that protects the caster from both physical and magical elements."

Young Mi: "Now cast it."

Flattening my palm and directing it to Young Mi, my magic would channel through my arm and to my hand. With a silent whisper of the spell, a cold, large and heavy shield of ice formed around my hand.

Young Mi: "Good, I see you"re a fast learner."

After maintaining the spell for a minute, I clenched my fist, "breaking" the ice in tiny pieces that melted on the ground, ending the spell.

Steven: "I have an amazing teacher."

I rubbed my hands together, they were cold to touch, but felt warm. Hopefully, this isn"t what Young Mi meant by freezing my hand.

Young Mi: "Flattery will get you nowhere. Onto the next lesson, Iced Spears."

Her method of teaching reminded me so much of Livia, that I"m picking this up easily. Though, Young Mi was refined in her way as if she has been perfecting it for hundreds of years. She is over 800 years old.

This is making me miss going to Independent Studies with Livia.

Steven: "Iced Spears?"

Young Mi: "An offensive spell that can fire as fast you want. Though, the faster you shoot, the higher the risk of accidentally freezing your hand. And the more magic it would use. I use it sparingly for those reasons."

Steven: "How fast could it shoot?"

Young Mi: "It"s easier to show you."

She flattens her palm and given a second to focus, she shoots so many shards of the ice, that it looks like a continuous flow of it, and ends up cutting a nearby tree in half.

Steven: "Young Mi!"

Seeing the immediate danger, I jumped in pulled her with so much force that we end up falling down, with the tree ending just a couple of feet from us. It was so sudden that we spent the next few seconds looking at each other for an explanation.

Young Mi: "Oh my, you pull too hard. Though, you did save me at the same time. Thank you for that."

She sits up and dusts herself off.

Steven: "You don"t have to thank me, Young Mi. But you"re welcome."

We both manage to get back up without a problem.

Looking back at the tree, I noticed that Ice magic is no joke. The only other element that could really cut a tree down like that is Wind magic with Slashed Winds, but it"ll take some time.

Steven: "Ice magic really was dangerous to be doing something like this, wasn"t it, Young Mi?"

Young Mi seemed rather s.p.a.ced out instead of her usual focused look, which raised some concern for me. I hope I didn"t hurt her when I pulled her.

Steven: "Young Mi? Are you alright?"

She"s rubbing her head, in pain.

Young Mi: "I… used…"

She slowly stumbles and falls on me, grasping onto my tunic.

Steven: "Young Mi?!"

Young Mi: "I… I… apologize, it seems that I finally used too much magic that I could handle. It"s bad to do so as a Wight."

Steven: "Let"s go home and get you some rest."

She slowly nods in agreement.

Giving her a hand, I helped her a short distance, about 50 yards, through the forest and appeared in the village from the treeline.

Walking some more with the villagers looking at us with concern as Young Mi looked visibly ill.

I just about managed to get her to the house, fumbling with the front door like a panicked idiot before finally entering the living room.

Steven: "Here we go…"

I set her down on the futon and bring the blanket over her. For once, I found it to work in my favor that the others can"t be bothered to fix their futons after waking up.

Steven: "Resting helps recuperate your energy."

Young Mi: "I"m a Wight, Steven. I"m not like you, so it"ll take a while for all my Magic Power to come back."

Steven: "Then take all the time you need."

I ran my fingers through her hair. It sort of became second nature to do so when I comfort someone. It"s something I picked up living with Kanna and Yuuna.

Young Mi: "Thank you, Steven."

Steven: "It"s the least I could do for my teacher."

Young Mi: "It"s only Ice magic."

She smiles softly.

Her looks are deceiving!

If I didn"t know any better, I"d think that she was only 22 or so. In fact, that"s what I believed when I first met her.

How could someone that"s a Wight and lived through so much still manage to look young and innocent?

Young Mi: "What"s the matter?"

She notices me looking at her.

Steven: "I, uh, just making sure you"re okay."

I blush slightly.

Young Mi: "Do you usually worry so much over a Wight?"

Steven: "If they"re my friend, of course I would."

Young Mi: "Am I really… a friend?"

Steven: "Friends should help each other out, isn"t that what I"m doing?"

Young Mi: "Yes, actually, that makes me happy."

She smiles softly again.

Young Mi: "Then as a friend, I should tell you something…"

She went on to tell a story. About a time before she was even a Wight and considered alive. How times were really dark, a world that seemed completely different from the current one, filled with death and violence. Ostroven and Hei"an Zhi Guo weren"t around, Shi De Emo was a city-state and the center of a war between 9 different countries.

It was even a time where Ice magic existed.

She was left to fend for herself and did everything to survive. From stealing crops to murdering the guard that tried to arrest her. The more she did it, the harder it became for her to survive. Everyone in the east either knew who she was or had a basic understanding of what she looked like.

The only way for her to keep moving was to head west. Finding a group of travelers that took her in that also happened to be heading the same direction. She rejoiced, believing she found solace with the group and could have a second chance at life.

Only, it was short-lived. One of the members recognized her and slowly got everyone else to turn against her and even did so behind her back in a matter of days. She didn"t know what was going to happen until it was too late.

In a quiet evening, they were at a village supposedly stopping for supplies when suddenly, she had a bad gut feeling. Her instincts were screaming at her to run, but chose to ignore it as she was no longer alone and felt that she could be comfortable with the new "friendly" group.

From behind, a guard and military reserve tackled her to the ground and pummelled her. Grabbing the reserve"s hunting knife and running it through her heart and quickly started bleeding out. Quietly weeping as she felt betrayed, and hopeless, before succ.u.mbing to her wound.

Everything was a blank right afterwards. Waking up the next morning as a Wight. A supposed "punishment" by the village elder, being forced to live with her actions for as long as she continues to exist.

Feelings of anger, and bitterness quickly engulfed her, sending herself on an uncontrollable bloodl.u.s.t on the entire village, razing it to the ground. The same group she had been with tried to run away by hiding behind a small forest, but were quickly found and burned alive by a forest fire she started.

It was so bad that the nearby military camp believed they were attacked and quickly deployed. Only to be decimated just as quickly.

Right after everything died down, she walked to the center of the village and fell to her knees. Being heavily reprimanded with regret for what she had just did and broke down into tears that lasted hours.

She drifted around the world for nearly 2 centuries before returning east, and settling down at an abandoned homestead. Quietly building her life to where she is today more than 600 years later and her fateful encounter with Dai-tai and Niroja.

Young Mi: "My real name is also Bian."

Steven: "Bian?"

I feel nothing but sympathy for her. The very same calm and peaceful Wight was once a very violent and short-tempered one. It"s astonishing that she didn"t "lose" herself as most Wights are said to do.

I suppose she did in a way by doing what she did in the village, but it kicked her back real hard.

Young Mi: "Do you still consider me a friend?"

I could feel my heart slightly speed up.

Steven: "Yes, I do. And I bet Madelyn and everyone would still be your friend too."

Her mouth slightly opens like she just realized something important.

Young Mi: "No. Thank you, Steven."

She seeps into the futon and covers herself with a blanket. With how comfortable she looks now, I bet she feels better after opening up to me as much as she did.

Young Mi: "Do you have any family, Steven?"

Steven: "No, I live with my master, Kanna, and her mother."

Young Mi: "What about your parents?"

Steven: "I…"

I sigh deeply.

It"s only fair that I tell her the truth.

Steven: "My father pa.s.sed away when I was 12. And my mother… well… she"s sick, and… last I knew… she… she only had 6 months to live."

This is really hard to speak about…

Young Mi: "Oh, I apologize, I didn"t know."

I"m doing my best to hide it, but I"m close to breaking out. I really miss her.

Any chance I had of composing myself was stomped out when Young Mi suddenly pulls me into her arms. I quietly sobbed in her shoulder as she comforts me.

Young Mi: "It will hurt for a time, but as with everything, it will pa.s.s."

Steven: "I—miss her."

Young Mi: "I know, just please, calm down."

After a couple of minutes and some deep breaths, I regain my composure and wipe away my tears.

Young Mi felt sympathetic look and made me wonder if she feels bad for asking.

Steven: "Sorry, I didn"t—I didn"t mean to cry."

I sit back up.

Young Mi: "It wasn"t something you could control."

Steven: "Maybe not, but, do you need anything while you rest?"

My duty is to keep an eye on her, not cry in her shoulder!

She probably thinks I"m pathetic now.

Young Mi: "Actually, could you go to the butcher for me?"

Steven: "Of course, are you cooking something?"

Young Mi: "No, I just need salt for a potion to help with my Magic Power."

A fortifying potion?

Steven: "Then I"ll be right back."

…

(Madelyn"s POV)

I"ve been walking for so long that my feet are really sore.

When Lilith and I were told that a nearby lake had lots of fish, I expected it to be, at most, a mile away. But no, it turns out to be almost 4 and a half miles!

Though, there really isn"t any justifiable way to complain. Dai-tai caught 3 really large fish that are easily 20 pounds each, enough to keep us fed for a a while.

Walking through a small pathway and alternating between us to carry the fishes, I was relieved to finally see the village again. Home is only a few more yards away.

Dai-tai: "I could carry the other one, Lilith."

Lilith: "Thank you so much, this is really wearing my arms down."

When we arrived at the butcher"s, Steven was already there with another Goblin. A really young and cute one.

Niroja must"ve knew who he was as she sighed in disappointment when we realized he was ha.s.sling Steven.

Toofan: "My name is Toofan Utsarg! I"m the best Goblin and warrior around!"

He strikes a ridiculous looking pose.

Steven: "Really? Then I wouldn"t want to cross you."

Toofan: "And I challenge you to a duel."

Steven sighs, annoyed by the self-proclaimed Goblin warrior.

I"ve been antic.i.p.ating some kind of disturbance between us and the villagers, but this is beyond what I expected.

I was hoping for a more of a "You came out of nowhere and start leading the village when we were next up, so we"re going to get rid of you" type of event.

Steven: "Actually, I"m a little busy right now."

Dai-tai: "Wait, isn"t that the kid that likes you, Niroja?"

Niroja: "Well, I don"t, he"s annoying."

Wow.

He must"ve really made a bad first impression to get even Niroja to hate him. She"s probably the nicest person I know!

Madelyn: "Let"s take the fish and see what"s going on."

All of us walk up to the butcher and set the fish down on the table. Steven looks relieved and walks up to us, ignoring the Goblin.

Him and the butcher start praising us for getting such big fish.

Steven: "You girls caught salmon?"

Toofan: "Don"t ignore me!"

Madelyn: "It was Dai-tai that did."

Dai-tai: "Obviously, someone as amazing as me would catch the best fish."

She playfully prides herself and Steven starts to play along.

Steven: "May I have the honor of preparing supper, my magnificent lady?"

He bows elegantly.

Butcher: "While those 2 play, did you want me to fillet them?"

He lines them up on the table, smallest to largest.

Niroja: "Actually, yes, we could give you one of the fishes as payment."

Butcher: "Great, perfect, my family loves fish! I"ll have them delivered and ready to cook in an hour."

Toofan: "I"m still here!"

Steven clasps his hands together, already imagining the types of foods he could make with the fish.

He has a pa.s.sion for cooking, and enjoys it, so he"s been cooking for the past week. We help him, like yesterday, it was Lilith, and the day before it was me. If we"re still going through the agreed order, it should be Dai-tai today and Niroja tomorrow.

Though, him and Young Mi are doing the majority of the cooking, they still find the help useful. It probably comes from Steven"s experience as a restaurateur and Young Mi just enjoys having someone to chat with.

Niroja: "Are you cooking again? You make it really good with almost nothing."

Steven: "Well, if it weren"t for Young Mi, I would"ve torn my hair out a long time ago."

He laughed.

Niroja: "You get along with mama really well."

She stands besides him.

I could easily ship the both of them!

Dai-tai: "I was actually worried there"d be animosity with mama with you guys."

She pats Lilith on the head only to be swatted away. I found out not too long ago that Lilith doesn"t like being made fun of and responds rather aggressively.

Though, I don"t see how patting her would be disrespectful.

Steven: "Everyone does, don"t they?"

Butcher: "Not really, kid. She"s a Wight, so people are going to avoid her."

Steven: "Well, that"s not right. She"s a wonderful person."

Butcher: "Sorry, but it"s how society is."

Dai-tai: "Then it"s their loss that they won"t get to know someone amazing."

She puts her hands on her hips and seemingly gets ready to defend her. Steven quickly catches on and defuses any potential aggression.

Steven: "I have to go back soon, so let"s go back home, everyone."

I already am at my limit with my sore feet! Sitting down would be the first thing I"m doing.

Niroja: "I see you"re wearing that necklace I made you?"

She touches the necklace he was wearing.

Lilith: "Necklace?"

Toofan: "Necklace?"

They said together.

Steven: "I"ve been wearing it since you gave it to me."

He blushes slightly.

What a way to put him in the spotlight.

Butcher: "Ah, before you go! Don"t forget the salt for Young Mi."

When he reaches for the salt, Toofan suddenly grabs him by the wrist in an attempt to intimidate Steven.

We were caught by surprise and the butcher looked like he was about to break up a fight. Lilith, on the other hand, was frowning and looked like she was going to join the fight instead.

Toofan: "What exactly is your relationship with Niroja?"

Steven: "My relationship? We"re friends."

He said seriously, the look on his face spelled cold and calculating. Really, it was more of an act, he"s as soft as a kitten compared to some of the others!

Niroja: "He saved my life and my hero because of it."

She takes his wrist into her own hand and leads him back to us. Leaving a visibly irritated and jealous Toofan to silently walk in the opposite direction.

Hopefully, they won"t be fighting over Niroja. It"s also the first time I met him, so I doubt we"ll be seeing him often.

Though, I"ve seen jealousy make people do crazy things.

Dai-tai: "Let"s go back home now."

With Niroja still holding Steven by his wrist, we made our way back home. Where we found a tired Young Mi in her futon, the most relaxed I"ve seen her yet.

Steven: "Here"s the salt you wanted."

He raises the salt pouch to her.

Young Mi: "Thank you, could you place it on the table for now?"

Steven: "Of course."

He sits at the table and yawns, and extends his legs to their limits.

Seems that even he"s been working hard with Young Mi.

Dai-tai sees this and decides it was a good idea to sit on his lap in front of everyone and taking him by surprise.

Steven: "Dai-tai!"

Dai-tai: "What? You let me do it before."

Steven: "That was—"

He sighs.

Steven: "That was different."

Dai-tai: "How"s it any different from now? You wouldn"t have a crush on me by now, would you?"

Steven: "That"s enough!"

Blushing, he pushes Dai-tai off his lap. She eventually jumps up laughing.

Dai-tai: "Ahaha~ I"m sorry, I was messing around."

Well, what was that about?

Madelyn: "What should we all do now?"

…

(Steven"s POV)

Steven: "How about rest?"

Young Mi"s rigorous training sure took it"s time to really affect me and my legs are sore from all the standing I"ve been doing.

Niroja: "Is it a lazy day for you too?"

She giggled.

She was sitting besides Young Mi, looking tired herself.

Dai-tai: "Aww, so it"ll be just me, Lilith and Madelyn?"

Lilith: "Madelyn looks tired too."

Madelyn: "My feet just hurt, but that"s about it."

She was ma.s.saging her feet by rubbing her thumbs against them.. It must be painful for her to be standing all day. In fact, even the soles in her shoes look flattened already.

It became obvious that they went through a lot of trouble to find food for us and only came back with 3 fish.

Steven: "We can all relax until the butcher comes around."

I say they"ve done more than earned it.

Madelyn: "I don"t mind. But, who was that kid that was hara.s.sing you?"

Steven: "Toofan Utsarg? The great Goblin warrior, or so he says. To be honest, I don"t believe he"s fought with a sword before."

I ranted.

Madelyn: "Hey, he challenged you to a duel. Why didn"t you accept?"

Steven: "Well, I"d rather not make my presence obvious…"

Madelyn: "Oh, that"s pretty smart."

I get up and stretch, feeling my lower back slightly pop when I do so.

After a short minute of silence, I go over and lay down next to Niroja, who was already in a futon next to Young Mi. Then followed by Madelyn, and Lilith.

Dai-tai: "Ehh, you"re all no fun."

She disappointedly lowers her head.

Steven: "Don"t be such a downer. I"ll make it up to you tomorrow."

Dai-tai: "Alright, then you"re going fishing with me. It"ll be a date, just the 2 of us."

Her and her jokes…

Though, it actually sounds fun. I get to see how Dai-tai catches large fish in person.

Steven: "It"s a plan!"