"Brother, I thought you liked magic?" While on our way home, Elias struck a conversation.
"I did, but not that kind of magic. I want the magic like those from Father's stories." I hid the truth about the fact of divination being fake, not wanting to ruin something he liked.
"Ah," an exclamation of understanding left Elias' mouth. "At least I'm thankful for you coming with me."
"Let's go." He added lastly and looked at me, giving a body message that seemed to say to follow him.
"Sure."
He led the way, and I followed closely behind him while a faint smile appeared on my face.
***
The morning sun was like an alarm clock for me, making me instantly awake as soon as its warm heat and bright light touched me.
I cooked myself a simple meal; the sizzling egg was an aroma that always reminded me of this peaceful life.
"Proper hygiene must be kept for us to live longer. " was what our father taught us when he was alive, which slowly became a habit.
Father was an outsider who managed to get into the village; he was said to be an escaped prisoner by the elders at that time but was accepted by them.
Mother was an ordinary village girl who, despite her intelligence, was not particularly unique; Mother was the one who taught me and Elias how to read.
From Father's words, they met in the park, in which he said it was Mother who fell in love with him first, but from what Mother said, it was actually Father who made the first move.
We were a rather peaceful family who had strong bonds with each other and with our parents' skills—Mother's ability to read and to do math, for example. We were ahead of other children, and in addition to that were Father's skills that he gained from the outside world.
I set up my plate and placed fried rice and the egg onto the plate I prepared.
Sadly, they both died.
Yes, it hurt at first, and I wanted to join them, but as time passed, it seemed as if they were no longer important... Was it because, in my memory, we'd been together for ten years? Or was it...
No, there's no reason to think about it at this time. There are more things that are more significant now than they were in the past.
I finished eating and cleaned up the plate, the cold water flowing in my hand as the water from the faucet ran.
I changed my clothes into something more comfortable for exploring; I wore the strap diagonally across my chest in a "crossbody" way.
Mother and father died while returning to the village, faced with a fierce beast that took 51 lives of 70 warriors.
It was indeed unfortunate for them, but it happened, and I need not think too hard about it.
Placing a different notebook from the other in my pouch bag, I was ready to depart from our humble home.
My current job is that of a herbalist, someone who gathers herbs in the forest; this job needed a special screening due to the need for herbalists who actually know what to do, and I was accepted as one.
I've read countless books about herbology, giving me adequate knowledge on how and where herbs grow.
Finally closing the door, I left to go straight to the forest that surrounds the village.
The money from selling the herbs was enough to sustain the two of us, and since Mother and Father did leave behind an inheritance, it allowed Elias to study at an alright school.
Reaching the forest, I opened the notebook I brought and turned the page to the eleventh page.
"Reaching the fourth tree, take 113 steps to the southwest; there's a willowbloom that will mature in 3 months."
"Written: October 15, 2059."
A willowbloom was worth a month's salary, so now that it was January 19, 2060, harvesting it would be helpful.
Following the directions in the notebook, I finally reach the willowbloom.
There he saw a white flower that seemed to exude yellow glitter; this flower was typically used to proclaim your love. It is especially used by those in the upper parts of the village where the rich live.
Handling the flower with care is a must since the quality of the flower also dictates the cost when being sold in the market.
Taking it out, including the roots, then cleaning off the residual dirt that may ruin the flower's look, it was then covered with paper and placed in a separate storage space inside the bag.
Then now that the flower has been acquired, which was my priority, the next step is gathering the medicinal herbs.
While wandering in the forest, every herb that managed to cross his path was taken straight to his bag to be sold later.
There were many common medicinal herbs in the forest, as well as some fruits, which he ate because it was said that taking fruits from the forest wasn't allowed but eating the fruits was allowed.
Though there were some wild beasts in the forest, all I had to do was avoid the aggressive ones' territories, and then I'd be safe, and added to the tool given by the elder council, it was easy to avoid those beasts.
The item was a special cologne that was able to hide our scent. Though it was proven to be a hundred percent not able to make herbalists safe from beasts, it was still a tool that could help them be safe.
Then I started to write notes on my notebook about the growing plants and herbs that were valuable enough to place my eyes on it.
Walking back to the market with a bag half full of herbs and flowers, I would sell them after he cleaned himself of the dirt.
After selling the herbs, I probably would like to go to the library today as well....
His thoughts froze in place as a blinding yellow light almost made him blind forcing him to cover his eyes.