Eleora sat at the edge of her bed, her legs crossed as she glanced out the window. She was left all alone again after being served a delicious breakfast. It was like a fever dream, everything that was happening around her. Never in a million years did she imagine that she would be able to taste something so exquisite.
Pancakes. With syrup!She loved this world, no doubt about it. She was treated like royalty and was given the biggest room she ever laid eyes upon. It looked like an apartment, with a walk-in closet filled with dresses her size, a study room with empty bookshelves waiting to be filled, and a king-sized canopy bed. Not to mention she had a Terrance, with big, crystal windows that opened outwards. It was magical. The view from her room glanced down at the palace that was surrounded by blue and white skies. It's been three days since she had seen Nikolai or the prince. In fact, the only other human being beside herself, was a kind lady that served her breakfast, lunch, and dinner, provided her with daily baths, and stayed a bit to chat with her, however long she could. Despite being in this magical world, Eleora began to grow bored easily. Staring out into the infinite abyss that was the sky grew boring, and watching the workers run around like ants from her balcony didn't entertain her enough. She hated to admit it, but she missed Lord Nikolai's presence. He said that he would call on her when they parted, but it had been three days and no word was heard from him. Did he perhaps forget about her? She knew that she shouldn't be complaining, this was everything out of the ordinary for her, and it was more than she could ever ask for. She was yet to express her gratitude to Lord Nikolai for now she understood his words. Why people would sell their left arm for such a luxurious life!"My lady?" A knock came from the door, a familiar muffled voice made Eleora jump up with excitement. She urgently opened the door to greet Mary. "You need not open the door for me, my lady," Mary said with a little laugh. The young lady's habits were hard to fix, she would often thank her for the food and even offer her a seat to share. "And I told you to call me Eleora!" She said, Eleora was far from being a lady. To the way she spoke, to the way she walked. "You came back sooner than expected!" "Yes, Lord Nikolai has asked for you, my lady!" She said excitedly for just the day before Eleora opened up to her about how bored she was and wished to see Lord Nikolai. Eleora's eyes lit up, she could finally leave this stuffy room. "Really?" She asked, trying to hide her excitement. Finally, she had something better to do than count how many pears were embedded in the ceiling. She wasn't even sure if they were pears. Eleora made a move to open the door but Mary stopped her just before she reached the door's handle. "I must fix your hair first, and change your garments to something suitable," She explained, one must look presentable at all times when going to see someone at such a high rank. Eleora held her tongue back, wanting to tell Mary that Lord Nikolai had already seen her at her worst, and compared to that, anything she wore now would seem entirely normal. She tried to argue back, saying how her hair did not need to be styled but Mary argued against it. Mary was secretly awaiting this moment, she wanted to style the young girl and braid her hair so she might have exaggerated when it came to always looking presentable. But there was no harm in putting a bit more effort into Eleora's appearance, especially her red, luscious hair. Her hair color was considered unique among the people of the kingdom and many would often stop and stare.Somewhere halfway through the hour that Eleora spent getting ready, she came to a realization that the woman was having too much fun and perhaps she need not look that pleasant in front of a noble of such high ranking. Mary brained Eleora's hair into two fine braids, decorated with green jewelry that Eleora was scared to touch. She didn't know she had such priced possessions in her room, she seemed to not be interested in going through the vanity drawers or her closet. Even wearing her nightgown was more than enough for her, more than she'd ever owned herself. She knew that all this was temporary and once it was all over, she would be on her own. Either here, or back in her old world. Depending on the magic circle in her eye. Will it send her back, or unleash something unknown? She hoped it would be the first for she was an outsider in this world, she had no place in the hierarchy. By the time they had finished getting ready, Eleora's excitement had died down and she was tired, her back felt sore from sitting up for a whole hour. But upon seeing Mary's happy and satisfied look, Eleora didn't complain and simply thanked her. After all, the maid not only fulfilled her duties but kept her company and introduced her to many delicacies of this world. Every day, she tried something different so that together they would be able to see what Eleora liked and what she didn't. Mary walked Eleora to Lord Nikolai's study and she tried her best to remember the way there, in case she wanted to come back or had to find him for something. It still left her in awe upon seeing his study, the smell of books and oakwood made her just gawk at the door. "I'll take my leave, my lord, my lady," Mary said with a stern voice as she bowed and walked away. "Come on in, Eleora. Take a seat," He offered her, gesturing with his arm to an emerald green sofa. Eleora sat down quietly, not saying a word. Her hand gently brushed the velvet fabric of the sofa. "How are you adjusting?" Nikolai asked, sitting across from her on an identical sofa. "Everything has been good, and Mary has been treating me really well," She replied, not making eye contact with him. She gulped embarrassingly, "T-Thank you."Astonished, Nikolai said, "Has our stray cat learned manners?" "W-Well...I just thought gratitude was in order considering I am sleeping on a mattress and not a stack of hay," Eleora said briefly, finally looking up at Nikolai, who had a proud smile on his face. She scowled upon seeing it. "I need to take a few samples from you, and I need to sketch out the magic circle in your eye. It'll be easier than calling you every time," He cut straight to the point. Did that mean that she was going to spend more quality time alone in her room? "Okay, no problem. But what kind of samples?" "Blood, hair, saliva..." His voice trailed as he thought further. "Is that necessary?" She asked confused. "Since we don't know what the magic circle does, we need to rule out some other possibilities so you'll need a proper checkup to ensure you are healthy. The hair sample is for me tho, so if you don't mind...""Ow!" Eleora said, yanking her head away from the man's hand. Eleora had some short strands that shaped her face, Mary ended up not braiding them in and left them to hang. "A warning would have been nice!""It hurts less when you don't expect it," Nikolai said, getting up with her hair sample. He walked behind them to his grand work table, he proceeded by placing the sample into a small glass plate. "Now then, is there anything else you need? Mary had said you do not leave your quarters, you may go wherever you please. I have a trained knight watching you so you'll be safe if that's what you are scared of.""I-I wasn't aware I could leave..." Eleora said, well he never said she was restricted solely to her room but Mary failed to bring up that subject also. "You are permitted anywhere, except from places that you can't go," He said, giving her zero information about the places she couldn't step foot in. He was too distracted working on something at the big table. He came back with a paper and pencil. "Then can I visit here tomorrow as well?" She asked, feeling a little shy. Lord Nikolai seemed surprised at her question. "Why of course you can. You are welcome to come whenever you want to," He said, sitting next to her. "Now then, if you can just look this way...yes, just stay like that for a minute." Nikolai proceeded by sketching out the magic circle in her eye, his own eyes turned a lighter shade of green as he used mana to help himself see better. When he was done, he glanced at the circle yet again, comparing it to the original. "I've never seen anything like it," He said to himself as he observed the circle which was now on paper. Out of curiosity, Eleora kneeled forward taking a look at the circle too. It didn't jog her memory, if anything, it looked different from the one that was on the cover of that book. She glanced at it, trying to take every detail in. Nikolai got up and walked back, his eyes scanning his sheet of paper. "What makes it different?" She asked curiously, following after him. He already had a book laid out on the table, flipping its pages. "To explain it simply, a magic circle-" He started, turning the book around and showing it to her, "-is a circle. Each circle is different and unique in its own way. Different sizes, and different designs, some symmetrical, others asymmetrical, each has its own purpose. They connect with the stars through their varied designs. It's very Ancient magic and dates back centuries ago, long before mana came into existence.""How did mana manifest itself in the human body?" Eleora asked curiously, there was no such thing as mana on Earth. Lord Nikolai's eyes lit up, he was one of the most powerful mages in the kingdom and a teacher at that. "Because of mana stones. We believe them to be gifts from the stars. Long ago, when humans first came across the purest form of mana stones buried deep in the ground, no one really knew how they worked or why they glowed a silver bright light until an extraordinary scientist by the name of Marcus Caldwell found their true purpose. Science couldn't explain the phenomenon of magic, simple thoughts would come alive for those who held a mana stone. Eventually, the energy of the mana stone enveloped with the auras of the human body, creating something we now call mana. It's a natural flow of magic within one's body. Everyone searched for a mana stone on every continent, under every rock. Wars broke out, and people died. It was a very dark age. Everyone wanted a taste of such extraordinary power. However, the mana stones didn't elope with everyone's aura. it was such a natural phenomenon, that those who tried to recreate it suffered dire consequences." "Like what?""Death.""Death?""Yes, no one really knew how or why it rejected some but not others. I have an idea though. I believe it's because we are connected with the stars, some more than others.""The stars?" She repeated. It would explain why Lord Nikolai was so fascinated with the world above and had so many materials and research papers about it. "Through cosmic dust, it is constantly falling on us from above. We consume it in our everyday lives. We have materials that are formed by stars that exploded years upon years ago. So if you think about it, we are made of stars. The mana stones were made of stars too, at least back in the day. We recreated mana stones by giving back a part of our mana into a crystal, however, it is not the same. The rarest purest form of mana stones don't exist anymore, and if they do, they are buried far underground, out of reach from our greedy hands." "Then how come people are still able to use magic to this day?""Because it is passed down from generation to generation. It's mostly nobility who are able to use magic this powerful because they choose to marry those with equal power. That's why our dear little prince is so sought out by the parents of many young noble ladies," He said, placing the book down on the table. He loved to teach, but it was hard to find someone who was so interested in this topic. Eleora hadn't moved an inch as she listened to Lord Nikolai's every word, had she had mana, he knew she would make an exceptional student. "Prince Hugo? Does he have a lot of mana?""Not more than me but he is very powerful for his age. If only he'd show up to his classes on time and put in twice as much effort, he could get at least three steps closer to surpassing me," Nikolai sighed in disappointment. "Nikolai, does that make you the strongest?""Well after my master of course," He said humbly. "Maybe you could ask your master about the magic circle in my eye, perhaps he would know?" Eleora suggested. "I know, but the old man vanished a few years ago. Who knows where he'd gone off to? He always liked to play stupid tricks on me, I'm sure he'll pop up sooner or later with some stray mystical beast," Nikolai shrugged his shoulders, he looked unbothered but he was still worried for his master. "Mystical beasts? What sort of mystical beasts?" Eleora asked, her eyes widening upon this new set of information. "Do you think that we were the only ones who eloped with the magic in the magic stone? There were animals who also did such things, perhaps some even consumed the rocks. These animals are very big and dangerous, each has their own element of what they could do. They aren't as smart as human beings, but their survival instincts far outweigh ours. They are very powerful creatures, twice the size of your regular animal. Very hard to kill. Master seemed to be very interested in them for whatever reason, I'm sure he's somewhere on the other side of the kingdom, wandering the jungle and making friends with the flying monkeys. That damned old man..." "Woah, that's pretty cool," Eleora said, not believing what she was hearing. Slowly she was uncovering more about this world she came to, and it sounded something straight out of a storybook. She wondered how a portal connected the two worlds, and if this was just some mystical place on earth or a whole entire different universe. She considered telling Lord Nikolai the truth of her whereabouts but argued against it. It would be better to bring it up after they discover the mystery behind that magic circle in her eye. "Now, I will be taking my leave. I have some business to attend to..." His voice trailed as he looked back at her, buttoning the cuffs at the end of his sleeve. "May I stay here a little longer? I'd like to read your books. I promise I won't mess anything up," She pleaded and he nodded in reply. "Suit yourself, you're welcome here anytime you wish." "Thank you.""I didn't know commoners could read.""Oh...well they taught some of us at the orphanage for...better opportunities for the future," She said quickly. "Hmm...fair enough, they should do that everywhere. It will get children off the streets and give them an opportunity for a better life," He said to himself because Eleora was already strolling through the library. Her eyes got lost through the feel of books on her fingertips, and that musty, wooden smell that she adored so dearly. She never had an opportunity to read a newspaper, let alone a book. She was grateful for the fact that she could read and had some basic understanding of some words. She picked up a book on the History of magic but soon placed it down when she noticed another book that caught her eye. It was an emerald green cover and felt like leather upon touch. It was an encyclopedia on mystical creatures. She could start with that, and perhaps a dictionary to accompany her on the reading binge she was about to have. It was easy to find everything in the library because it was organized in a very useful way. All the books on magic were on one side, astronomy on the other, and then math and its equations were located on the upper floor. Other books from a language she couldn't read and then finally dictionaries. She grabbed the one she needed, and her eyes got lost again in dictionaries for other languages she didn't know existed. Perhaps they were languages of other countries in this world? Eleora went back to her spot on the sofa and before she began her binge on mystical creatures, she scrolled through the pages, taking a peak. Every creature was accompanied by a description of its traits, both physical and mental, where they are located, and a very large, frightening picture of such a beast. Eleora felt a little chill go down her spine, but she had to remind herself that they were rare, and far away from the mainland. It was fascinating to find out that creatures like this existed. Some were large, bulky animals. Others were small, the size of a stray cat. Some had wings, fins, tails, horns, you name it. "Interesting..." She mumbled to herself, her fingers tracing over one with large wings, looking like a giant lizard. Perhaps a dragon of some sort? It wasn't long before Eleora's eyes began to close and she dozed off in the comfort of the couch, the pressure of the book on her chest, and the light tik sound of a clock.