"Hey, do you need my help?"
A small, petite girl lowered her head slightly when she saw someone, only a few years older than her, lying on the dirty ground.
"... Alright, I'll help you." She murmured as she reached out her hand.
Dimly, a soft green light emanated from her small fingertips as she touched the face of someone who was gazing weakly at her.
***
"Nggg ... Mother? Ugh... Is that you?"
Elara, feeling her body incredibly heavy and stiff, struggled to open her eyelids and faintly managed to see the familiar figure, which she had come to know recently.
"Hey, my dear Elara...."
Elara wanted to smile widely upon recognizing the familiar voice as if she hadn't heard it in ages, but her lips felt rigid, and she found it hard to speak smoothly, causing a hint of panic to creep in.
"Mother ... What's happening ... to me?"
As if answering to reassure the panicked Elara, the figure she called mother quickly reached out and gently stroked Elara's chubby cheek.
"It's okay, everything will be fine." Her mother whispered, almost like a spell to lull her back to sleep.
Elara didn't resist at all when her mother's hands easily lifted her for an embrace. She placed her tiny chin on her mother's shoulder, feeling the comforting tension beneath it.
"...?"
Behind the reassuring yet tense shoulder, Elara could faintly see the scenery. She saw the trees and the entire dark yet calming forest as usual with heavy eyelids.
But this time, her heavy eyes widened when she witnessed a different sight, where the once pitch-black forest suddenly illuminated brightly.
Before Elara could scream to tell her mother about the scenery she was witnessing, out of nowhere, a peculiar green firefly landed right on her tiny nose.
"Huh?!!"
Elara was startled. But within a split second, she couldn't do anything else as the strange green firefly, initially emitting a faint glow, suddenly shone brightly on her face, as if the sun were rising.
The atmosphere of complete darkness crept in as the sun had long set, and the moon, with its faint light, was busy illuminating the surface of the otherworldly dark and mysterious land.
Elara and her mother's simple wooden dwelling felt warm and brightly lit, as if it were broad daylight, even if only for a moment. However, not a single soul was aware of that brief moment.
***
4 years later
THUD!
Elara immediately woke up from her sleep as her ears caught a loud noise nearby.
"... What was that?" Elara blinked her eyes in confusion.
Elara sat for a few seconds, trying to gather her thoughts, before finally getting out of her wooden bed. After washing her face, she decided to take a shower.
Even though she was anxious, she wasn't too panicked or agitated by the noisy disturbances that had become her wake-up call recently.
After her shower, she made sure to tidy up her bed as best as she could, so it didn't look too messy.
She remembered how her mother had explicitly forbidden her from doing this because, as she put it, cleaning the house wasn't Elara's job. Her mother wanted Elara to focus on reading books and learning many things while she was still young.
Elara had vehemently protested, not wanting to grow up into a person who couldn't take care of herself if her mother continued to handle things in her room. Another reason, of course, was that Elara wanted privacy in her own space.
At that moment, Elara recalled seeing her mother looking very surprised. It seemed she didn't expect her obedient daughter to suddenly defy her words.
Nevertheless, after a short argument, Elara's mother ultimately agreed to her rebellion and would allow Elara to tidy up her room on her own. Even after that, her mother started to allow her to do anything that was previously not permitted due to her young age.
The first thing Elara did was to find out about the powers in this strange world.
Yes, modern humans had suddenly entered a world filled with various mystical powers. Who wouldn't be curious?
In this otherworld almost filled with magical abilities like auras, magic, elemental spirits, holy powers, and seemingly other unknown powers, Elara delved into her studies using the books her mother had brought.
And it didn't stop there; there were even beings referred to as 'Gods' here, complete with Priests who worshipped these Gods, forming a Churchs respected by the Kingdoms.
Yes, Gods, the highest beings who had saved this world, more precisely, the continent of Okeanos, from destruction due to a sudden imbalance between the realms of the living and the afterlife.
The existence of the Goddess was well-known, and there was not a single being unfamiliar with her name.
Goddess Gaia.
Elara remembered the first time she read the historical accounts of the Goddess who had stopped all the long-dead souls who were trying to escape the afterlife and disrupt the world belonging to the still living beings.
Upon her first descent into this world, the Goddess immediately found a woman who was so beloved and blessed by life and nature around her that she raised her as Her daughter to facilitate the salvation of this world on the brink of destruction.
Not only that, but the Goddess did not hesitate to bestow a small part of herself, containing the most potent and purest powers, to increase the chances of success. And finally, with the Goddess's daughter as the leader of humanity, the world's destruction was averted.
As a reward for her great achievements, the Goddess went even further by giving her the name 'Titaia', another name for Gaia, as her last name.
The bestowal of the name 'Titaia' was to prove that she was the only child the Goddess acknowledged and loved. The Goddess also granted her a fertile island in the heart of the continent, Galatea territory. Thanks to that, the Kings recognized and bestowed the title of Queen upon her.
And even more surprisingly, the Goddess allowed every generation after the first Queen Titaia to have the name 'Titaia' as long as they met the requirements to become the next Queen Titaia, of course, accompanied by undisclosed prohibitions known only to the person chosen as the next Queen Titaia.
Back to the topic at hand. The woman who did it was the first Queen Titaia named Nike Titaia, known to be very strong, kind-hearted, and loving.
Even the Elemental Priests who worshipped the Goddess Gaia genuinely believed her, Nike, the first Queen Titaia, to be the real Goddess's daughter.
"So, did Goddess Gaia bring me here? Hmm. But that's impossible. How many people died on the same day as me, yet why was I chosen to reincarnate into another world?" she pondered, puzzled.
Realizing she had finished tidying up her room, Elara stopped and glanced at the clothes that had been washed.
"Oh, I need to fold them."
Even though Elara was in a hurry because she was concerned about the source of the noise, she wasn't so rushed that she ignored the chaos in her own room.
"Hm... Hmmmm~~" Elara hummed softly. When she saw the pillowcase emitting a pleasant aroma, a wide smile spread across Elara's face.
When she was four years old, Elara had been shocked to discover that this world had no bolsters.
Repeatedly. There were absolutely no bolsters!
"No wonder I couldn't sleep well!"
This world didn't know, and its inhabitants had no idea what a 'bolster' was. They had no idea how delightful it was to sleep while hugging a soft bolster.
So, she asked her mother to prepare the materials so she could make a simple bolster the size of herself as her six birthday present.
She dared not mention cotton since in her knowledge, cotton was an expensive material that only nobles and wealthy merchants could afford.
Elara merely mentioned something typically used to stuff pillows.
"Well, instead of having nothing at all, I can replace it when I have money."
But who would have thought that, one day after Elara expressed her wish, her mother would bring the cotton she desired, which should have been very expensive for a single mom whose only job was selling bread in a small village.
"Cotton, linen, or whatever it is. Mother got it from a noble."
What was even stranger, at that time her mother talked at length, unlike her usual self who always tried to avoid sensitive topics like this.
"The noble wanted to go to Galatea's territory, but he didn't do it because there were still no signs of the Queen's appearance," she continued, "I also heard that the noble came from the West."
Elara, who listened intently, couldn't help but become curious. "Do you mean from the Kingdom of Ember Sirocco?"
After that conversation, Elara immediately opened a thick book containing general notes about the three great Kingdoms.
"What's the name of the King of Ember Sirocco... Sephir Bayu...? Ugh, the pronunciation of names here is so complicated," Elara muttered to herself.
Elara glanced at the books containing etiquette lessons that she had recently been rereading, recalling the increasing number of nobles who kept coming to her village, situated on the outskirts of the Galatea territory.
In this world, a monarchy system still prevails, especially on the continent of Okeanos, the largest in the entire world. Each of its major regions is governed by four powerful sources of strength.
Three of these sources are held by three Kings who rule their territory wisely, maintaining a balance between nobles and their respective subjects. Their agreement to preserve peace has forged a strong alliance, particularly after witnessing the prowess of those blessed by the Goddess Gaia.
However, another source of power resides in the central region, the heart of the Okeanos continent, known as the Galatea territory, ruled by Queen Titaia.
It is said that this Queen not only commands human subjects but is also believed to lead beings from races considered long extinct, now shrouded in myth. They reside and conceal themselves within the enigmatic Galatea, creating an aura of wonder that envelops the land.
Some of the books that Elara read also mentioned that the three Kings are required to bow their bodies 90 degrees when facing Queen Titaia herself. This is because the ancestors of each of the three Kings managed to obtain their tremendous powers, which remain strong to this day, thanks to the assistance provided by the first Queen Titaia.
The Queen Titaia.
Queen Titaia, a title bestowed only upon a woman, was the sole individual of unknown origin, cherished and adopted as Her child by the Goddess Gaia.
The most powerful ruler who governed the central region of the Okeanos continent, the Galatea territory, was renowned for its fertility and said to hide many treasures such as rare elemental spirits, mythical divine beasts guarding the area and etc.
Many people from all corners desire the rumored treasure that is said to be still hidden, waiting to be discovered by the right person. However, on one side, they fear taking actions that might violate the rules of the territory and incur the wrath of the strongest Queen.
Though there had initially been disputes, given that Queen Titaia's throne could only be occupied by a woman, and the selection process would be carried out solely by the Queen herself, at least until the 9th Queen Titaia, no issues had arisen.
The three Kings regarded Queen Titaia as the highest ruler and the noblest and most honorable noblewoman, while the Priests treated the Queen as a divine and revered being.
"..."
Elara, reading the lengthy history, felt completely indifferent because it wasn't her concern.
Though Elara knew nothing about the nobles who frequently traveled to the Galatea territory.
But if the noble from Kingdom of Ember Sirocco was indeed a righteous noble, he would have heard that Galatea had become a 'sacred territory' in the last ten years or so.
Even though the three Kings had stated that Galatea was not dangerous as long as one didn't violate the rules within the territory, entering the hazardous territory was still akin to slow suicide.
Elara didn't know and didn't care to know the circumstances that led nobles from all corners of the continent to risk coming to the Galatea territory only to fail to obtain results.
She was annoyed because she kept hearing the same stories repeatedly, as her house's location was a strategic place that had to be passed through by those who wanted to go to the territory.
Moreover, traveling merchants were constantly roaming because there were many people, especially nobles, who often passed through this remote village.
The merchants, especially the WheelWorld, the largest traveling merchants guild, even established their headquarters here, trying to profit as much as possible from the nobles who had lost hope.
Certainly, Elara doesn't feel at a loss or disturbed by the presence of the merchants, which, benefits her significantly. Her bread always sells out quickly, and she can also obtain free information about the three capital cities from them.
"Ah, it seems like I spent too long tidying up." Elara looked at her overall neat room with satisfaction.
Immediately, she opened her room's door and once again sought the source of the sound that had woken her earlier.
"Is the wood in this house finally rotting?"
What else could she do? Even though her mother was a noblewoman who had run away (just Elara's guess), her mother and she were just commoners selling bread as their daily income.
So, it wasn't surprising that some of the wooden furniture in their wooden house had become rotten due to the age of the wooden house that seemed quite old.
"But... it doesn't seem to look rotten, huh? The wood doesn't seem old, but it doesn't look new either."
Elara didn't think casually; she thoroughly observed her house's condition because she was worried that it might collapse on her one day.
Even though she didn't see any signs of rot or broken wood in her house, Elara remained stubborn in thinking that it might be time for them to move to a new house.
Fortunately, the income from selling bread was quite brisk, thanks to Elara successfully creating various bread recipes that she could remember from her previous life.
'Plus, Mom decided to use her hobby to make money,' Elara thought with a smile.
"Mother?"
Even though she knew her mother was likely not in the kitchen, Elara still called out for her in the kitchen.
Because her mother usually was in the kitchen at this time, busy making bread dough.
But, as she had suspected, there was no one here.
THUD!
The same loud sound echoed again.
But this time, it sounded very clear from outside the house.
Elara had already suspected, but she didn't know that the sound indeed came from her backyard.
Quickly, Elara went to the back of the house, where the sound originated.
She saw the culprit who had caused the noisy disturbance that had disrupted her sleep.