Ananiel

I stood at the door and sighed. Looking back, the gray sky diluted the sun’s rays that pierced through the inn’s window. Almost lost in a daydream, I shook my head and pushed through the door. The inn today had a pleasant number of people around the tables near the entrance. I went to the counter and requested a cup of hot tea. At the counter, a rough, burly man rested his arm on the counter.

“Hot water is free, but tea will cost ya. Is that alright?”

I took a moment to contemplate which I wanted more. I decided that I wanted to try the tea.

“That will be a tin for a cup”

I fiddled with the coins in my pouch that jingled pleasantly in the inn

“How much for the leaves?”

The man leaned up and scratched his arm

“Recently, we got a new shipment restored. Heard there was a carriage that was flipped sideways somehow. Luckily, the goods didn’t rot or get stolen. So, It would cost ya a silver for a pouch of tea”

He lifted his hand to show an approximate size of the pouch which was around the size of a book.

“7 copper for a pouch”

I checked my coin pouch, which amounted to 4 silver 2 copper and 5 tin. I handed him a silver and he gave 3 copper as change. Leaving me with 3 Silver 5 copper and 5 tin. The man pulled out a bag and commented while funneling tea into it.

“This tea is really nice. From the forest of the east. Got a really nice color to it. Here, hope ya enjoy your tea.”

He handed me a nicely packed pouch of tea which bulged at the bottom and smirked for a moment before he noticed confusion on my face.Scratching my head, I asked..

“How do I brew tea?”

The man chuckled and reached out for the tea pouch.

“Here, give the bag to me and I will show you”

I handed him the bag and he reached in and pinched a small bundle of leaves and put it into a cup.

“...After you put a few leaves into a cup you add some hot water and the water will turn a vibrant greenish yellow color and it's done. Just that simple. If you want more flavor, you add more.”

Taking some time to admire the color of the tea, I ask

“Do I add more to a kettle?”

He took some time and nodded his head rhetorically.

“Well, I have some things to tend to. Ring the bell if you ever need some water and I hope you enjoy the tea!”

He turned around and went through a backdoor no longer in sight. I was left with a brewed cup of tea and a pouch of tea leaves. Putting the tea leaves into my bag, I gaze at the wispy smoke rising into the chilly air. Blowing on it a few times, I took a sip of the tea that dulled my tongue. Which left behind a pleasant, leafy taste that tingled gently down the throat. This tea was rather pleasant compared to that over-saturated tea in that eerie, god-forsaken room. I stood at the counter pleasantly enjoying the tea and pondered about the dream. Is it so bad to want to explore a world unknown to me? What did it mean by “The essence of the world is not the only solution to magic” ? I came to no conclusions after finishing a meal of tea and cornbread and went to the bookstore with a desire to know more about magic.

The cobblestone street dulled under the clouds, and the city felt pale. The lack of wind held the air still as if the wind stole the life of the civilians around. The street was populated with many going about their businesses. Some were working hard moving wooden crates around and others were gazing through a window appreciating the merchandise in a shop. I found myself lost in curiosity. Before I knew it, I was in front of the bookstore again. I went to the counter to ask

“Do you have any books on magic?”

The young lady, bored, furrowed her eyebrows and glared at me..

“So you're interested in magic?

A little flustered, I nod my head. The young lady smirked at my gesture and relaxed her posture.

“One gold, pay up and I can tutor you”

After some fumbling, I identified 3 silver, 5 copper, and 5 tin coins. Not a single gold in site. I pouted in disappointment. Noticing this, the young lady propped her hand to her face and smiled at my tomfoolery.

“How about this, you hand me 3 silver and I point out a few books that will help start your journey. When you're done with a book, you can tell me how it went”

After nodding my head, the young lady swiftly navigated around the shelves. Years of experience being displayed as she quickly navigated through the store. By the end, she held a tower of books. Placing the books on the counter she sat down and exclaimed

“Maybe I went a bit overboard… Oh well…”

Tilting my head, I chuckled nervously at the mountain of books.

“Do you expect me to read all that?”

The young lady giggled and softly smiled towards me

“ Each book is one silver, so pick out whatever 3 you like.”

There were nine books that made up that tower, 3 blue, 3 red, 3 green. I took my time tilting sideways to look at the titles. A few books caught my eye but I wanted a second opinion

“Which books would you recommend in particular?”

She lined the books into its associated colors and pushed one of each color towards me.

“The books are separated between practical, fundamental, and theoretical”

She points at red, green, then blue. Red represents practical, green represents fundamental and blue represents theoretical.

“These ones have given me the best results… but it’s your choice”

The books pushed towards me were titled Magica Fundamentals and Guidance (green), Rituals, functions, and generalities of Magic (red), and Concepts of Mana and Soul (blue). Brushing my fingers over the covers, I looked at the other book titles that caught my eye. In the red there is, Flames, the power of invoking fire. In the blue, The relation of sky, land and above , Lastly, in the green, Awakening of the eye. Bouncing my decisions around my head, I decided to pick up Magica Fundamentals and Guidance, Flames, the power of invoking fire, and concepts of mana and soul. Pushing the books forward, I handed 3 silver. The young lady stacked the 3 books and handed it to me

“Those books are very interesting… Particularly the concepts of mana and soul. Also when you are done with a book, come by whenever you want and tell me how it was.”

"Sure I will check them out"

“If you ever need a place to study quietly, I recommend the library”

Raising my eyebrows, I ask

“The one with Otto?”

She also raised her eyebrows and held her gaze

“You know Otto?”

I wobble my head and answer

“Kinda, heard he’s a good fellow”

She relaxed her gaze and smirked

“Tell him that Lily recommended you. Yes, I am tasking you for an errand. He is a few weeks overdue on his delivery of new books and I need more things to read…”

Placing the books in my satchel, I nodded and rushed out the door, excitedly curious of the contents within the pages.