(Ton pov)
After Erik and his escort passed I hurried back home to the homestead. I butchered and skinned the moose before going to the woodpile to chop some wood in preparation for smoking some of the meat when Magdala and the kids returned.
"I knew you faled your injury dear husband."
I could feel Magdalas magic fill the air and how the surrounding temperature starting to rise.
I tried to pacify her and calm her down, but I noticed that something was off. She felt stressed out.
"Wait let me explain!" She stopped in her tracks and inspected me.
"You get one chance to explain. Otherwise you are sleeping on the couch for the next week."
I let out some air as I felt my body relax. "I met Erik..."
She looked at me with a searching gaze. "I thought we agreed to stay as far away from him as possible?"
"Yes, I know...but...I just couldn't stand risking the possibility of Lille and Bellz getting caught up in whatever it is Erik or whomever is behind him."
She closed her eyes and crossed her arms deep in thought for awhile. "So?" She finally asked. "What happened during your encounter? Did he recognize you? Or anyone for that matter?"
"Hahaha, no need to worry my dear!" I gave a wide grin. "I am for certain that I wasn't recognized."
She looked at me sceptically. "So what exact happened? And what was your plan?"
I told her everything, about how I was ready to kill the prince, about how I had killed the lightning moose and took another identity. But also how I stopped myself when I saw his daughter.
"I must say Ton, that was really stupid of you...what do you think would happen if you would have killed Erik?"
I thought about it for a bit before Magdala answered it for me.
"Your assassination of Erik would have ignited his faction of human supremacy even more. They would have blamed his murder on the other humanoid races and that would have probably led to a very...very dark future..."
I hadn't thought that far ahead...all I saw was the future of our children suffering at the hands of the Luteria Kingdom.
"I am sorry hun...I was not thinking that far ahead." She walk up to me and gave me a kiss on the lips before embracing me in her soft embrace. "By the way hun. I did bring home the lighting moose. I was thinking we could have it for dinner?" I gave her a kiss on lips and then a wide smile.
"That's sounds amazing dear."
-----
(Bellz pov)
Lilly and I was in the training room, we had put up some mannequins made out of straw against the wall, we found in the storage room located at the side of the training area.
Lilly was really excited to test out her magic now that she was allowed to. Our mother had tought her a few spells on our way back from Oakhill. She did warn her that even if she new the theory behind the spells it didn't mean she would be able to succeed immediately.
The spells our mother had tought her was three of the most basics of wind spells
Push: A force of wind that can stagger a foe. It is not powerful enough to knock them down.
Slice: Small blades made of wind that can make small cuts on an opponent.
Dash: Creates a gust of wind that assists the caster or a target and gives them a burst of speed when running.
To cast them mother said that it was important to make sure you get a feel for the magic essence inside you and air. But after that she had whispered the rest in Lillys ear in case I was listening to the rest.
I did feel a little irritated that I wasn't allowed to learn magic yet but I just had to be patient.
Lilly mumbled something I couldn't hear and then suddenly said. "Slice!"
Silence fell over the room. Nothing happened and Lilly's face changed from her light green tone to a red hue.
"Damn it!" She yelled in frustration.
"Don't worry sis! Mother did say it could take awhile before you succeed in casting a spell."
"I know..." I walked up to her and gave a pat on her shoulder and said.
"You can always just try the other spells. You never know, maybe one of them is easier for you to grasp."
She thought for a bit before something dawned on her. "Hey Bellz?"
"Yes?"
"Do you remember what mother said about the spell dash?"
I thought for a bit when it dawned on me too.
She closed her eyes and mumbled something again when suddenly a faint wind starting blowing in the training room. "Dash!" She suddenly yelled out and the wind around Lilly picked up and she started running at a high speed around the room.
The thing both of us realized was that Lilly had always unconsciously used dash on herself. From a young age every time our father would come home she would run down the stairs at an unnatural speed.
"I did it! I did it!" She ran up to me and tackled me to the ground. "I am so happy! I can't wait until you learn magic too! Then we can practise together."
"One year... that's how long I have to wait..."
We continued practice her dash for awhile. One thing we noticed quickly was that she was only able to use the magic on herself and not on others. But this didn't lower her motivation, she just felt happy to repeat the dash again and again. She did try the other two spells again a few times to no success.
After we had spent a few hours in the training hall our mother called us to dinner.
When I sat down at the table a familiar smell hit me, something I haven't felt since my previous life.
"Mother? What is that smell?" I asked her.
"Your father hunted a lightning moose while we were in Oakhill."
"Lightning moose?" I asked curiously.
"It's quite the delicacy my dear child. It's not something people can eat every day." She brought out a large platter filled with moose meat. I never thought I would have a taste of it again.
My uncle used to hunt moose during the hunting season and it was something I often ate together with him when I grew up.
"Mother! Mother! I was able to use dash!" My sister interjected as she sat down at the table.
"Oh my brilliant daughter!" Mother said and gave Lilly a big hug from the back before returning to put all the food on the table. "Just remember that you have to always keep practicing. You can always improve."
"If you want to I can teach you some melee combat too Lilly!" Our father said as he entered the kitchen. "Wind and Air magic is quite suitable for close combat you know."
Lilly's face lit up like the sun. "I would like that dad!" But before father could say anything more mother interrupted them.
"That is good and all but both you and I know Ton that it is better to wait a year or two before we start combat training."
"I know, I know, Magdala. I am just so proud of our adorable little hurricane here! And you know my primary element is wind too. So I can always help you even though I might not primarily be a spellcaster."
Our mother thought for a bit before agreeing with Ton. "You may only have B rank in Wind magic but if Lilly is interested in learning close combat it isn't that bad of an idea to have you instruct her."
"I am looking forward to your guidance father!" Lilly said with a happy smile. She truly was dad's little girl through and through.
"Know then, let's enjoy the meal that Ton caught and prepared for us."
The moose meat was realy tender and filled with a complicated gamey flavor that reminded me of the moose from my old life but it also had a more deeper flavor I had never tasted before.
As a side dish we had some baked potato like tubers that our mother had made that was covered with some kind of cheese.
And with that was some grilled vegetables, Nectar tomatos (a sweeter kind of yellow tomato with a honey like after taste) Clover onion, (A large onion that grows in pairs of four that had the a really strong spicy flavor to them) and Blood asparagus (A bloodred asparagus that had tiny hint of a metallic taste to it but also a sweetness that went really well together with the meat.)
It all had both a familiar taste of home but at the same time a new unfamiliar taste.
-----
After the dinner I took a bath and prepared for bed, it had been such an eventful day but one thing that kept coming back to me as I laid down in my bed was the thought of the voice I had heard.
I was still afraid of losing my grip of reality. All the distractions of my family and thoughts of magic helped me not thinking to deeply of it all. But the fear always existed in the back of my mind.
But something else was also crossed my mind...what was it that Triss seemed so curious about. And why did my blood react the way it did to the sap?
"No point in thinking about it for now...I hope..."
I turned and looked around my room, there was a dresser, a desk by the window that was covered with picture books for teaching kids how to read and at the corner of the room close to the door was a mirror that perfectly pointed to the bed.
I could clearly see myself as the sunsetd last light hit the my room perfectly. My red skin with my eyes anhint of yellow was still a little bit shocking to still see as I inspected myself.
On the side of my forehead two bumps had started to grow. It wouldn't be many years before I had horns like my mother.
Mother did tell me that some dromos grew tails and that it might happen to me when I became older. Well all and all I felt as happy as I could be with this family that showed me so much love.
As my thoughts drifted from one thing to another I slowly drifted off to sleep.
-----
(Urpie pov)
I opened my eyes and saw that I was in a childs bed.
I was in control of the body it seemed. I looked through the room and saw a dresser and then a desk by the window with what I recognised as books.
I had encountered books before when we used to trade with travelers from the south. But I never really got to read them.
I got out of bed and saw the moonlight filling the room in a blue ethereal light. I walked over to the desk to inspect the books when I saw my hands.
My hands was the color of the most beautiful blue color with black fingernails.
I felt my heart beating faster and I looked around the room when I noticed the mirror. I walked over and looked at my mirror image.
Long dark blue hair bordering on black hung over my shoulders. I didn't look older then four years of age. On top of my forehead I felt two bumps growing. And as I inspected my face a saw the face of a young girl with ice blue eyes.
My skin was fair and smooth as I explored my body to confirm who or what I had become I confirmed that I was a girl. But it felt weird.
Last time I was conscious I could have sworn this was the body of a male...
I looked down at my hands again and saw a marking on my left hand. It was a red flame that covered my hand and seemed to travel up my arm a bit.
"What is happening?" Was the last thought I had before I collapsed on the floor.