Alice's eyes fluttered open, the dim light from the window casting shadows on the wooden floor. Her head was throbbing; unluckily, it was still the same unfamiliar room.
She pushed herself up on one elbow, feeling dizzy as the room swayed slightly. The thick stone walls had only one big window, which was letting the dimming light of the evening inside.
There was noticeable movement across the room. It took some focus to see Elizabeth sitting on a couch with a boy next to her.
The child was rather impatient as he was kicking his legs against the floor. Neither of them realized that Alice was awake.
"Mom, when can we go home?" The impatient boy didn't enjoy sitting still.
"When we make sure that the girl is okay, sweetie," Elizabeth replied, playfully pinching the boy's cheek.
"Oh, talking about making sure," she averted her eyes towards the girl sitting up in bed. "Good evening, sleepyhead." The older woman chuckled while walking closer to check up on the bedridden girl, placing her hand on Alice's forehead. "Luckily you don't seem to have a fever."
"Good evening… I had a strange dream, but it didn't make any sense." Alice started getting worked up, still rejecting the situation she was in.
"You were able to make flames with a flick of a finger, and the doctor could heal me with some weird light." Her voice cracked, and she made exaggerated gestures with her hands to show how stupid this idea was, still delusional about the fact that it wasn't a dream.
Elizabeth grinned. "It's nothing fancy, just a little something I can do." The woman took a step back and proved it by conjuring a small ball of fire under the roof before making it disappear.
The dancing flames looked frightening and alluring; Alice couldn't take her eyes off of them.
It took her a moment to realize just how unnatural and otherworldly this is, making her jump away. "What was that!"
"Oh, you poor thing. I think your injuries left you with a bad case of amnesia. I will try to tell you everything you need to know." Elizabeth grabbed Alice's hands and squeezed them tightly.
"We found you wounded while we were on a walk. We barely spotted you and brought you here." The caring woman looked deep into Alice's eyes. "Do you at least remember your name?" She looked concerned.
"Yes.... It's Alice," the girl replied, still trying to grasp the situation, wondering if this was really happening.
"Thank God you are feeling better. I will let the doctor know. Worried Elizabeth stood up and went towards the doctor's office. "Jack, you stay here and call for me if anything happens. Understood?" After waiting for Jack to nod, Elizabeth left the room.
Some time has passed before Alice built up the courage to ask, "How did she make a ball of fire with her fingers?"
Jack's eyes lit up. "It's because my mom is good with fire magic!" The boy put his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest. Clearly proud of his mom's talent.
"So you are saying your mom can summon fire on command?" His words shattered any delusions left, leaving only the cold reality of this situation.
"Yep! She is the strongest and the coolest!" His childish side was easily visible now.
Alice started biting her nails and fidgeting with her legs; sweat was forming on her forehead as she was starting to understand what's happening.
"Pfft, your mom must be some kind of grand wizard then." She teased the boy, trying not to show the fear lingering inside. "So the doctor, the one who healed me, also used magic?"
"No, that was a rend. It's different than magic." He shrugged. "Every person has a rend, but it's unique, like a very powerful birthmark."
Alice felt overwhelmed with all of this information, but there was even more to learn. "So, magic is for everyone, but every person has a different special power called a 'rend'?"
"Exactly!" Jack smiled. "And my mom's rend helps her control humidity, but the fire magic proficiency? That's her skill, which she honed over the years."
That was a lot of information to grasp at once; Alice could feel herself hyperventilating. But their conversation was cut short.
Elizabeth came back with a change of clothes. "Doctor Hanes said that you are fine to leave now, but he asked me to take care of you until some of your memories come back."
Jack's mom left the clothes on the bed. "Put them on. They belong to one of our neighbors, but we can't let you walk around in a hospital gown," she giggled and took Jack out of the room to let her change.
After Alice changed into the borrowed clothes, she, together with Elizabeth and Jack, told their goodbyes and thank-yous to the doctor before leaving.
It was already dark outside, making it almost impossible to look at the town around them. But it was barely possible to see that the buildings weren't taller than two stories. Well, that wasn't really true, as the roof of a very tall building could be seen in the town square.
When they got to Elizabeth's house, Jack was so tired that he instantly went to bed, leaving Alice one-on-one with his mom.
"Alice, you can stay in our guest room. The bathroom is down this hallway, but you will have to wait until tomorrow for me to show you around because I'm very tired." A long yawn escaped her mouth.
With that, Alice was left alone for the first time in this surreal world.
But the exhaustion kept her from exploring; after a quick bath, she lay in the bed.
It was very hard to fall asleep because of the constant thoughts of what will happen with her next.
She still had so much to see and learn, to understand the reason for getting this second chance. Luckily, all of that overthinking made her very sleepy, and she dozed off into dreamland.
...
In the morning, Alice came downstairs to see Elizabeth and Jack already up, eating breakfast. "Good morning, Alice," the mother said. "I will show you around after you finish your breakfast." Her caring attitude not leaving for even a second.
Alice quickly finished her breakfast. It was a slice of bread with some local vegetables. "Thank you for the meal."
"Come with me then." Elizabeth took her hand and started the tour around the house. "So downstairs you have our kitchen and the living room."
Now that it was bright outside, Alice could see that the buildings looked exactly like the houses in medieval Germany back in her world. The thick bricks kept warmth inside and prevented cold from coming in.
"And upstairs are all the bedrooms and the bathroom. There is also a garden outside and a small training ground my husband made for Jack. But that is all," Elizabeth said as she finished explaining everything. "It's not a big house, but it will for sure be enough for you.". She added at the end.
"Yes, this is way more than I could ever ask for. Thank you for your hospitality." Alice bowed in front of Elizabeth. "Is there a place where I can read about history?" The need to understand this world ate at her from the inside.
"Yes. There is a library down the street. You can read as much as you want there. But remember to come back before dinner, or it will get cold." Elizabeth replied and let Alice go to the library.
On the way to the library, Alice marveled at the sight of the village brimming with life; it was nothing like yesterday.
The colorful walls and rough texture of the buildings clashed with the vibrant fabric and smooth texture of the stalls, which created a beautiful sight in front of her.
Fruits were being sold at stalls, people in robes showing off their magic skills. She couldn't take her eyes away from their show; she knew about fire magic existing, but the mages surprised her further as they started casting a spell that looked like a serpent made out of water.
Both of them were controlling it, making it move like a snake across the air above them. She could spend the entire day watching it, but today's goal took priority.
The walk to the library took Alice longer than she expected. Reason being her younger body, which had shorter legs, but after arriving, she was surprised to see how big the library was.
Shelves upon shelves of books wherever the eye could reach. The clerk sat by the entrance, ready to answer Alice's questions.
"Excuse me, are there history books? And one about the basics of magic." Alice asked the clerk at the counter.
The amused clerk looked at the young girl in front of him,How long has it been since I heard a child ask that question?" He got emotional from seeing a young girl interested in reading. "Of course! Come with me, and we will find something for you right away."
He showed her around and helped with choosing, making Alice walk to the reading area with two books. One was called 'Magic for Newbies' and the other 'History of Odeth.'
The girl thanked the clerk for his help and sat down to read the books.