It was the next morning, Becca woke up early today and decided to go for a morning walk.
It was still fairly dark, and barely anyone was awake. So she walked down the street guided by the golden light strands in the sky. As she arrived at the center of the town, she saw a bright rainbow liquid pouring down a wooden structure.
As she got closer, she noticed that it was a beautifully crafted fountain, and she was amazed.
Next to the fountain stood a statue of a woman. She was depicted emerging from a flower that resembled a chrysanthemum. In her hand, she held a tulip, and a rose was woven into her hair. Resting on her lap was a baby deer.
When a strange urge to touch the liquid clouded her mind, she hesitated before dripping her right hand into the pool. The instant her skin felt the liquid, a sharp pain shot throughout her right arm to her brain. She pulled her hand out gasping in pain, and that is when she noticed a green vein on her fingers to her elbow.
"It's beautiful isn't it." Behind her was Axel who returned from his trip.
Becca smiled and said, "Very much, how was your trip?"
"It was messy, but it was okay. Ivy and I had the chance to enjoy ourselves and dance beneath the moonlight and golden strands. We listened to the waves crashing against the ship and felt the gentle breeze against our skin. It was gorgeous." Becca smirked at Axel before gently bumping her hip against him. "Who is Ivy?" she asked.
"Patricia, she just doesn't like her old name." He replied.
"Why's that?" Replied Becca.
Axel smiled and said, "It's a long story, mainly due to her not having a good relationship with her family. I'm the only person left for her and I will do my best to keep her happy."
Axel walked towards the statue of the woman and placed his hand on the flower in her hand, closing his eyes. "The Goddess Artemis, her beauty knows no bounds." he said.
Becca moved next to him, looking confused, "Are you praying?" She asked wondering what he was doing.
After a brief prayer, he said, "Happy hunting." Turning his attention to Becca, he continued, "I'm paying tribute to the Druid goddess so that my next hunt will be bountiful and successful. I need to ask, how was the village while I was away?"
Becca immediately looked away, trying to change the subject, but Axel immediately knew something bad happened, "Oh my, do tell me what happened?" he said.
Becca sighed and started explaining what happened with King Kurtis. After she explained everything, Axel burst out in laughter.
Becca watched him laugh in complete embarrassment, "SHUT UP IT'S NOT FUNNY!" She shouted as she stomped at him despite him not feeling any pain.
After Axel finished his laughter, he stood up, wiping the tears from his eyes, and said, "Alright, what are you going to do now? He has the money, resources, and influence to turn this village into a training facility for his soldiers. So, choose wisely-" Before he could finish speaking.
Becca cut him off, "I'm choosing to surrender and negotiate a new deal with him. There's too many risks thrown at our way if we fight him. In terms of manpower, he can easily wipe us out. So it best to avoid any conflict with him." She said
Axel stretches his arms out before saying, "Okay, if that's your choice, I will send out a letter to him. We kinda have history so I believe he will be more inclined to return for a negotiation. In the meantime, do you want to check out the ships me and Ivy bought in."
Becca twirled her hair and said, "Sure, maybe this ship will help me forget about how selfish I was. Let's go."
As the two walked their way to the coast, they shared some light conversation about different topics.
Why are there golden strands in the sky? Axel explained it was due to the first prophet child creating a never-ending light in the sky.
What type of animal do they view themselves? Axel viewed himself as a wolf while Becca viewed herself as a lion.
And finally, out of all the races Axel met in his life, which one was his favorite? He claims that the pixies were his favorites due to them having a charming personalities.
After arriving at the coast, "Whoa, I think people will think we are pirates than a friendly village." Becca said noticing the skull flag on the ships.
Both ships were small and could carry at least twenty to thirty people in each. Both were brightly colored with red, blue, white, and purple.
Axel lightly giggled and said, "I can see that, best to repaint once we get the chance. But first, we need two sailors and a port built as soon as possible." His eyes shifted to the green veins on Becca's hand.
She noticed that and asked, "Is something wrong?" Believing that there was a mistake with her hand.
He shook his head and said, "I want you to imagine a plant growing out of your hand for a second."
"Umm okay." Confused but still did as instructed. That is when a sunflower grows out of her hand.
Confusion struck her heavily but her excitement grew along with it.
Axel noticed that most of the green veins disappeared from her elbow to her palms, "Let me tell you a secret about us humans. We all are painfully aware that magic is something we will never be born with. All the races have the luxury to use their unique magic that lines with their race. But the only difference is that they have limits that our Gods place on them. One would say that humans themselves have these limitations but it's quite different. I believe that the Gods were not aware of the creative method of achieving magical essence within our bodies. So when we are given magic, our potential is nearly unlimited compared to the others. Making humans, the top of the food chain." He explained.
She stared at her hand intensely, "So if I keep practicing, I can use stronger abilities and use less magic essence?" She asked.
Axel placed both hands on her shoulder and said, "Yes, every day keep on training and pretty soon you be able to turn a desert into a rainforest."