"Hey, Milly, want to go to the forest to pick up some herbs with Mama?"
"Yeah, sure! Let's go!" Milly answered with a bright and excited smile, her small hands clapping together in delight.
"No fair, Mama! You always take Milly with you!" Rodrick exclaimed, puffing out his cheeks in frustration.
"That's not true, and you know it. Last time, I took you, right? So this time, it's Milly's turn," I said to Rodrick with a smile and gently ruffled his hair.
"Okay, I understand," Rodrick said with a sigh, his lips forming a slight pout. "But next time, I'll go with you!"
"No, we can't do that. Next time, it's Mark's turn, then Ronix's, and then yours. We have to be fair to everyone. Am I right?"
"Yes..." Rodrick replied with a sad, slightly angry expression as he looked down at his shoes, kicking the dirt lightly.
"Let's go, Milly," I said
----
"Hi, Mama, is this herb going to work?" Milly asked me as she picked up a mushroom with both hands, her eyes wide with curiosity.
"No, dear, that's a mushroom, not a herb. Here, look at this tree," I said, crouching down to her level and pointing to a leafy green herb nearby. "Search for this plant nearby. We need this one."
"That's a huge tree!" Milly exclaimed, her head tilted back as she looked up at the towering neem tree, its branches spreading wide above us.
"Do you know what it's called?" I asked Milly with a gentle smile.
"No, Mama," she replied, shaking her head.
"This is a neem tree, and we're here to find some leaves and branches today," I explained,
"But why?" she asked nonchalantly,
"First, we take some leaves and bind them together, then let them dry. Once they're dried, we put them near our food to keep insects away. Also, we can fry the leaves with some oil and seasonings, and eat them with rice—it's very good for your health. As for the branches, you can use them as toothbrushes. They're great for your teeth too. I conveniently left out that the leaves taste very bitter.
"I want to eat it, Mama!" Milly said, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she bounced on her toes.
"As you can see, these trees grow very tall, so we can't break the leaves and branches normally," I explained, pointing to the branches high above our heads.
"So what are we going to do now?" Milly asked, her face lighting up with curiosity.
"We use magic," I replied with a knowing smile.
"Magic!" Milly repeated the word, her eyes widening with even more curiosity.
"Milly, you've practiced wind magic before during training, right? Can you help Mama get some branches?" I asked with an encouraging smile.
"Yes, Mama!" she said happily, her excitement bubbling over.
"Now, look at that branch that just started to grow," I said, pointing to a small branch in the middle of the tree.
"We can only eat the new leaves, so aim carefully at that branch and repeat after me, okay? Listen closely:
'Blades of wind, sharp and swift,
Through the air, let forces shift!
Slice with speed, unseen and clear,
Strike my foes, Air Cutter!'
"Make sure to say it exactly as I did, alright? Now, you try."
Milly nodded eagerly and began to chant:
'Blades of wind, sharp and swift,
Through the air, let forces shift!
Slice with speed, Strike my foes, Air Cutter!'
She waited in anticipation, her small hands trembling slightly, but nothing happened.
Milly looked toward me with a sad expression.
"Oh dear, you just missed the part 'unseen and clear.' That's why your spell didn't finish, and nothing happened. Try again," I said, gently ruffling her hair.
"Okay!" she said, determined.
Milly chanted again, this time with more focus:
'Blades of wind, sharp and swift,
Through the air, let forces shift!
Slice with speed, unseen and clear,
Strike my foes, Air Cutter!'
As soon as she finished chanting, a gust of wind shot out from in front of her, rushing toward the branch with high speed. But it missed its target by an inch.
"I missed," she said, her face falling again. "Are you angry with me, Mama?"
"No, my child. You did great for your first try," I said, gently placing my hand on her head. "Now, next time, aim more carefully, okay?"
Her face lit up with a smile, and she nodded enthusiastically. She focused again, her small hands raised, and cast the spell one more time.
This time, the gust of wind hit the branch squarely, and it fell to the ground with a satisfying snap.
"You did very well, Milly!" I praised her, rubbing her head affectionately.
"Now let's gather some more, okay?"
I couldn't help but feel a surge of pride. This was very impressive for her first attempt at an offensive spell. Though she'd never cast one during her training, she performed exceptionally well.
With smiles on our faces, we continued wandering through the forest, collecting more neem branches, the sunlight filtering gently through the leaves above us.
---
"Mama!" Milly shouted.
"Mama, where are you?" Milly shouted again, fear in her voice.
"I am coming to you," I replied as I hurried toward the direction of her voice. From the sound of her voice, I could clearly feel that something had happened to her.
I ran toward her as fast as possible, pushing the bushes aside. I finally saw her standing in front of me, looking at something in the dead leaves in front of her.
When I got there, she jumped and hugged me. I could clearly feel the distress in her. "What happened, my dear?" I asked.
She didn't reply, so I gently caressed her head to calm her, and then I noticed what she was looking at on the ground. It wasn't a thing; it was a person lying on the ground, covered in dead leaves.
I quickly got near the body and started clearing the leaves.
"Oh my goodness, what happened to this poor child?"
It was a girl, and for some reason, she was wearing a strange, torn outfit I had never seen in my life.
I hurriedly checked her breathing, and thank God, she was breathing normally, which meant she was alive.
"What happened to her?" Milly asked, frightened. I could feel the distress in her voice.
"Nothing, she was just sleeping beneath the trees, nothing much," I lied to her.
That didn't work the way I thought it would. Milly is a bright girl.
"Mama, can we not help her?" Milly asked me.
"Of course, let's take her to our home then."
I couldn't see any kind of wounds from the outside, but her clothes were slightly torn. I didn't take the chance, though, and I cast a healing spell on her to cure any internal wounds she might have.
"By the grace of the sacred star, let wounds be closed, and life restored. Heal."
The warm, bright light covered her entire body and then vanished.
Milly was still looking at her intently. "Poor child."
"Hey, Milly, can you help Mama once again?" I asked to distract her. "Can you please use your magic once again for me?"
That worked like a charm. Hearing the word "magic" made her forget the situation.
"Can you light a torch for me and hold it to light up our path?"
It wasn't all for distracting her. The sun was starting to set, and nighttime would approach soon.
"Yeah, sure." She took out a torch from her pocket and began chanting.
"Flame ignite, a spark so bright, Bring forth warmth, banish the night! Ember flare, ignite with care, Torch alight, my path declare!"
I knew she had learned this spell while training, so I didn't have to do anything. Now for the girl.
I picked her up onto my back to give her a piggyback ride. She wasn't too heavy, and we weren't very far from our orphanage, so I figured I could easily carry her.
"Let's go, Milly. Lead the way," I said, smiling at her. She nodded and started walking ahead, lighting the path for us.
The forest around us grew darker, but the soft glow of Milly's torch and the sound of our steps gave me a sense of calm. As I carried the girl, I couldn't help but wonder who she was and where she came from.