He had only left her alone for a few moments, but the moment he returned he noticed she was struggling to stay atop the rock he had left her on.
"Eva?!" he called out frantically.
She began falling towards the rock, so Lucas immediately reached out to grab her. Red splotches shown against her usually pale face.
The memory of his visit to the nearby human village flashed through his mind. The old lady he had bought some fruit from had grabbed his arm roughly.
"The heat this time of year is brutal. Make sure you take care of yourself lest you get sick."
The close contact with the woman had disgusted him, so he didn't pay attention to her words at the time. All he could remember was her laughing as she released his arm and walking to the back of the stall.
'Oh right, there were some herbs they were selling that they said were good for the heat.'
Eva's face started to turn pale and Lucas knew that something was wrong. He used his free arm to dig through the sack of goods he had bought today.
The herb that came to mind was pulled out and he reluctantly set Eva down next to him as he prepared the herb. Lucas also pulled out some herbs to aid with nausea and vomiting while he was at it.
Lucas got fresh water from the lake and gently tried to wake Eva. It didn't work. He shook her shoulder, but she just mumbled some protests in response.
Mixing the medicine in the water Lucas took the mixture in his mouth and began feeding the medicine to her mouth to mouth.
As the last bit of medicine passed from his lips he realized what he had just done.
'It doesn't count. I was feeding her medicine.'
He set Eva down and moved away from her. His train of thought was leading him to a place he could never return from. Diving into the lake he decided to cool off.
Eva felt like everything that she touched was hot. It burned across her skin from the tips of her fingers down to her toes.
'Why is it so hot here?'
Of course, nothing answered her. It was so hot that she could not open her eyes and her mind felt hazy for some reason.
A cool sensation trickled in through her mouth and she wanted to jump at whatever was quelling the raging fire within her, but her body wouldn't move.
The cool sensation began to fill her body and she was finally able to relax. The raging flames were being tamed by this cooling sensation.
'This feels great!' she thought cheerfully.
She could feel time passing by, but she was still unable to move from where she was.
'Why do I feel strange?'
The raging flames had been tamed, but her body still felt warmer than usual. A white bunny appeared within the darkness of her dream.
She expected the bunny to disappear or run away as usual, but this time it hopped up to where she was lying and nipped at the tip of her nose.
'Silly bunny. My nose is not food!'
Her nose tickled from the contact and she was finally able to move. She sat up from where she was laying and the bunny hopped into her lap.
She petted the soft silky fur. Her surroundings were still dark. She wondered where she was.
"Mr. Bunny, why did you come to me this time?"
Her voice seemed to echo all around her. The bunny then hopped in front of her and stood on its hind paws.
The behavior was definitely strange for a bunny. She stared, confused at its behavior. Its paw reached out to her so she placed her finger on it.
The mana she had used briefly to cast a water spell before surged under her skin. The darkness surrounding her began to lighten as she was transported back to the strange meadow with the forest beyond it.
The bunny dropped its paw and then bowed to her before completely disappearing. The weak energy she had felt before now crackled within her.
Had the bunny been guiding her here all along? She stared down at her arm, but it looked the same as before.
The knight that had shown her the magic before, did not mention this. He had said she had a small gift that could not be used for much.
'Am I a magic caster now?'
A magic caster was a rare occurrence in the Kingdom. They often became adventurers and were able to take on difficult quests, even in the lower ranks.
Eva sat amongst the flowers in this dream world. Gradually, the mana she felt surging within her faded. Eva felt saddened by the loss of the sensation, but had nothing to go by with her situation.
Only a few things were clear to her. Something had happened that caused a change within her. That change caused her mana to suddenly surge and increase.
Also, she had unconsciously created a space within her dreams to reach this point. However, she could not think of why this was suddenly happening to her.
Since there were not very many spell casters in the Kingdom, information about them was scarce. She suspected information regarding magic was suppressed on purpose.
Even as a noble, she did not have access to many books that mentioned magic at all.
'I wonder if I will ever get to see Mr. Bunny again.'
It was silly for her to think that way. The bunny was just a figment of her mind that she had made up. And even though the scenery was beautiful, she felt lonely here.
'If Lucas were here…'
Why was her first thought of Lucas the moment she felt lonely?
'Have I fallen this hard for him?'
Her cheeks began to heat up in the usual way. She quickly covered them.
'Even in a dream I can't stop from blushing.'
Hopeless. She was truly hopeless. She had completely fallen in love with that elf. It would be stupid to deny it in a dream of all things.
'In here I could be with him.'
The thought surprised even herself. She felt guilty for thinking in that way. Out in the real world she couldn't allow herself to forget, but in this dream world she could indulge in her dreams.
'Why am I even having this surreal debate with myself in a dream? I should be thinking about waking up!'
With that thought the world around her began to fade and she felt the familiar weight on her limbs as she struggled to wake up from a deep sleep.
******
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