Eira
The streets were illuminated with soft, golden lantern lights as Eira quickly made her way down the path, her own lantern gently pouncing at her side.
It was a warm Sunday night, and the village of Oakhaven was a sea of vibrant flames. The seasonal festivities were near, and everyone was buzzing with excitement.
To a foreigner, it looked like a lively festival of fire, but to Eira, it was a loud conversation that she wasn't interested in. Her own light remained a soft, lemon-yellow, reflecting off her quiet, reserved life.
Before heading anywhere near the crowded city square, she stopped at the corner apothecary. A bell chimed softly as Eira stepped into the warmly lit shop, shaking the fresh snow off her boots.
"Hello, Mrs. Gable," Eira called out, breathing in the familiar, sharp scent of dried mint and crushed lavender.
For the past three years, this shop had been Eira's entire world. After her older brother left to find work in the capital, Eira took a job with Mrs. Gable to support herself now that she lived alone.
What started as everyday chores, sweeping floors and labelling tiny glass vials, bloomed into small lessons on different types of medicine.
Eira had a natural gift for medicine. Her fingers, which were always stained yellow from handling different plants, knew exactly how to draw the remedies out of the stubborn wildflowers that grew outside the village.
While other nineteen-year-olds spent their evenings socializing in the tavern or preparing for the seasonal dances, Eira could usually be found hunched over a heavy oak workbench in the back room mixing up some herbs.
Yet, as she unbuttoned her heavy wool coat and looked at the map of the continent pinned behind her desk in her room, a familiar ache settled in her chest.
She loved the quiet rhythm of Oakhaven, but she couldn't help but wonder if she was meant to heal people beyond the borders of her hometown.