Well, as it turns out I actually have very little self control... who would have guessed (Maybe I'm the one that's 'In need of control~ haha). I couldn't resist posting another chapter, even though my schedule says 'No more till the 4th'. I know schedule... I know... But I want them to read it... Anyway, there will still be a chapter on the fourth like planned, however it will be the 7th chapter instead of the 6th. I won't post anymore until then. Defin-mayb-probably. A lot of strange names come up in this ones. The majority of them are Celtic in origin with perhaps a little bit of latin thrown in for good measure. Note: Do my eyes deceive me, is Eran starting to come onto the perverted Inn girl!? Song of the day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfkjdgTWYEo

Returning to his room at the Inn, Eran fell into bed exhausted and was quickly claimed by sleep.

The next morning, he went down stairs to join Cassidy and the rest of the tenants for breakfast.

It was clear to him that much like himself, Cassidy was no morning person. Her light brown hair was dishevelled and her usually neat clothes were wrinkly. As she heard him approach, she looked up from her plate in a daze, and clumsily smiled at him.

Eran stopped in his tracks, the only thing he could think was ‘Cute’.

Shaking his head to free himself of the strange thoughts, he sat down across from her.

“Morning Cass. Did you sleep well?” he asked her.

“Mmm”, she purred in response.

Eran grabbed a nearby plate and started to dig into the assorted breakfast.

“I was wondering, is there anything like a school or a university in Beaufort?” Eran asked in between mouthfuls.

Cassidy started to sober up and looked at him with a thinking face.

“Not here, but there’s the University in Astr. It’s one of the largest in the world I’d reckon” She stated.

‘It must cover a lot then’ Eran thought to himself.

“What do they teach there?” he asked her.

Once again donning her, very cute… thinking face Cassidy answered.

“They teach just about everything there. All sorts of branches to study in and courses to follow. I’d say they teach just about everything from Swords and Magic to the mating habits of the Eagleduck” she smiled impishly.

Eran chuckled at her little joke and started thinking again. But just as he was about to ask another question Cassidy held up her hand.

“If you want to know more, you’ll have to ask Mom. She went there herself so she can tell you about it more” she said as she got up and left the room.

After finishing up his breakfast, he quickly found the Innkeeper working the counter.

Eran called out to her and asked her if she knew anything about the University.

“So you want to go to Astr huh” she said whilst stroking on an invisible wisdom beard.

“Well anyone of legal age can go, though I must warn you, it is rather expensive.”

“There’s fees and such that you’ll have to pay to attend. Like paying for boarding, registering at the Academics guild and paying for any of your course fees. And then there’s the payment for a Status card” the Innkeeper listed off whilst donning a very familiar thinking face.

After absorbing the new information Eran picked out a single piece to ask about.

“What’s a Status card?” he asked.

“Oh, I forgot you’re not from around here. The Status card is a tool used for both identification and employment. Adventurers use it to prove their strength and students use it to prove their ability. It is also useful for any business, especially the illegal kind. Not that I imagine that matters much to you” she winked at him.

The Innkeeper then informed Eran that whilst having a Status card is pretty commonplace, not everyone has one, as it requires quite a hefty price to procure.

“Well, if you’re set on attending University in Astr, you’re going to need the funds. I’d say you need about 20 gold. Five for the Status card, 10 for the year of boarding and 5 more for textbooks and food” the Innkeeper stated.

Eran silently felt the inner lining of his pants, searching for his money pouch. There were only three large coins in it. Although as subtle as he was, the Innkeepers keen eye noticed his actions.

“Listen, the way I see it is you have two options. You can join the adventurer’s guild here in Beaufort. You’ll need to do a lot of fighting and without a Status card you would only be able to accept the lowest level requests. Or… you can work for me. You work hard for a full month, and you will leave with a guaranteed 15 gold to your name. Plus, as a bonus between… friends, I’ll let you keep whatever tips you receive” the innkeeper offered.

As she offered Eran the job, her greedy, business driven mind drove into gear.

‘With this guy around I’ll make a killing, he’s already made me a large profit in just a week’

Eran took a moment to seriously consider her offer. He started to weigh the pros against the cons.

‘Cons – I’ll still have done very little in this world. I’ve barely left the one town. It will take me another month to start learning how to control my Magic’

‘Pros – I’ll leave with a lot of money, hopefully enough for University. I’ll have somewhere to sleep this month. Good people to talk to.’

At the moment both sides seemed to be pretty even.

‘I’ll get to spend more time with Cassidy…’

“I’ll take the job” he stated in a firm voice.

Deep within the confines of the Great Forest, a group of people were happily conversing as they walk.

“So, your world is called Earth… amazing, it’s named after an element!” Leafe said in amazement.

‘N-no… it’s the other way around, right?’ Amelia wondered to herself.

“Are we getting closer to your city?” Alexia asked Leafe.

“We’ll be in Uaine-Baile within the week” Leafe nodded as she replied.

Noticing the confusion clearly shown on their faces, Leafe elaborated.

“It means Green Home. It’s the capitol city of our entire kingdom” she said as she made a sweeping motion with her hands.

“Despite what some humans still believe, the entirety of the Great Forest belongs to us Woodland Elves. We have several smaller cities as well as towns throughout the forest, however Uaine-Baile is by far the largest.”

‘To have more than one city in a forest…’ Alexia pondered.

“Just how large is this forest?” she asked.

Leafe slowed her walk for a moment and seemed to be thinking.

“At least the same in size as Astra alpha… Ah right that means nothing to you. I have a map here if you’d like to see when we next stop.”

Alexia thanked her and they started to continue walking briskly.

However, as they were approaching a large river, which the Elves had called the Flumine, the group stopped as they felt something amiss.

In the breadth of a moment, the elves were clutching themselves and dropping to the ground, trying to stop themselves from trembling.

Whilst not as sensitive to Mana as the Elves naturally were, the two girls could still feel the insane amount of Magical power that was saturating the air. It made the hair on the back of their necks stand.

As the Magic started to recede, the elves slowly regained their composure, though Leafe was still clearly rattled.

“What frightful magic” she said between shallow breaths.

“Truly, a god must have intervened somewhere in Astra Alpha” one of the males stated as he stared off somewhere into the East.

“Let us hope it was fruitful” another added.

A week had passed and the group now found themselves in front of a truly awe inspiring sight.

Resting on a very wide but short hill was a giant tree. Larger than even sky-scrapers back on Earth, it was surrounded by beautifully built wood and stone buildings. The buildings did not feel intrusive and felt more like they were made by the forest, rather than the Elves.

“Impressive isn't she. Luthar is the oldest and strongest yew tree in the forest. Even the near ageless Elders of our people cannot remember a time when she wasn’t protecting Uaine-Baile.” Leafe stated with pride.

“It’s the most beautiful city I’ve ever seen” Amelia stated in awe.

After passing through some impressive gates made from twisting trees and vines, the group was passing through what was apparently the market square. Although the larger portion of population were Elves, the girls noticed many people of all different shapes and sizes.

One embarrassing lovey-dovey couple had cat and dog ears, and an older gentleman walking with a cane had an impressive set of goat horns protruding from his temples. There was even a man with wings on his back!

Soaking in the fantasy city, the two hardly even noticed arriving at the very large building. Turning to look at why they had stopped moving, the two were greeted with sight of the base of Luthar. Only by standing right in front of the old tree, could one fully understand its impossible size.

Resting on Luthars’ base was the large building they had stopped for.

“This is the Citadel, the Elders of our people reside inside. I’ll formally ask for an audience with an Elder. I imagine you’ll be received quite quickly, however you must wait outside here until summoned.” Leafe said with a smile as she parted from them. She then passed the Elven guards inside the Citadels gates and disappeared into the building.

In only a few minutes she returned and beckoned them in.

As they walked through the building she did not talk to the two as they had expected, though it was probably due to a tradition, as she didn’t seem upset at all.

The inside of the Citadel was furnished with polished woods that gleamed like metal and paintings that looked as if they were made with nature itself.

The trio finally arrived at a set of large Oak doors and Leafe simply knocked three times.

“Come” a feminine voice said from within.

The woman inside was beautiful just like all Elves were, though there were tell tale signs that she was older than the Elves the two had met up till now, as she looked middle aged. She had golden hair and green eyes and a stunning figure. All in all she seemed like a very beautiful elf, and seemed vaguely familiar.

The Elf woman gestured for them to sit on a couch which was near a table with a mixed array of treats and beverages already set out.

“Greetings children”, she said as she gracefully sat down. “My name is Elder Mirame Windbreeze, you may call me Elder Mirame or Lady Windbreeze.”

Hearing her last name, Alexia and Amelia turned to Leafe.

“Yes, we are of relation. Leafe is my daughter.” The elder smiled.

“Now, I do not wish to rush you, as I am sure you have much to say, however an Elders time is always pressed.” She said edging for them to start talking.

Amelia left most of the story telling to Alexia, however she did supply a few details here and there that her mistress had forgotten. As they recounted their circumstances, from the duels at their school to waking up in the Great forest, both the Elder and Leafe listened intently.

As Alexia concluded her tale with a compliment of Uaine-Baile, the Elder took a few moments to think.

“I do believe you’re from another world. It is after all, not unheard of for extra-terrestrials to end up on Eion. Our gods are very whimsical creatures you see.” The Elder said.

“As to how exactly you got here, I am unsure. It sounds like a god or someone of equal power shifted you to our world. Though even that is a shaky theory…” the Elder paused for a moment whilst sneaking a glance at Leafe. Wearing a complicated face she then continued if not a bit hesitantly.

“I don’t know how to tell you this girls but… There is no known way to travel between worlds. Only the gods could possibly know, if at all possible. However they only converse with their apostles and even then barely ever.” She concluded with a sad expression.

“But Leafe, you and the others said that a god used magic during our travels here!” Amelia shouted, almost in tears.

“What?” the Elder raised her voice too, looking at her daughter.

“I said that there was something like a god-, mother… I mean Elder. There was some strong magic in the air a week ago. It made us all sick and I almost lost consciousness. I do not know if it was a god, but I had never felt anything like it before. Terialt claimed it came from somewhere in Astra Alpha.” Leafe said in quick succession.

The Elder merely raised her eyebrows and held out a hand to stop her daughter from continuing.

“We’ll continue this later” she said with a measured look.

“I imagine you girls are tired and need sleep, you may stay at the Windbreeze house with my daughter. I cannot permit you free leave, considering the events after your arrival” the elder said, hinting at the encounter with a Basilisk.

“You may go now” the Elder said with a kind smile as she rose from her seat.

The Windbreeze ‘house’ was more like a mansion. Easily the same size as Alexia own home back on Earth. Furnished in much the same way as the Citadel, the two were led to a guest room by a maid. Leafe had stayed behind to talk to her mother.

Settling in for the night, Alexia and Amelia had separate rooms. However they chose to sleep together.

Fearing that they were stuck in this world, all on their own and away from their family, the girls quietly cried themselves to sleep.

During the month of Erans employment at the Sleepy Meadow, several interesting things had happened.

One of the more interesting events that transpired happened half way through his second week.

Whilst in his room, Eran had grown bored and quite a bit curious during the evening after a day full of waitering.

He had decided to try a little magic.

Knowing that he definitely couldn’t attempt fire magic inside, he instead decided to try using water magic.

Eran pushed all of the furniture in his room to the walls so that he had a large space in the middle to stand.

Holding his palm upwards Eran recollected the system for water magic. From memory, the basics involved conjuring water using Mana.

He remembered that it was profoundly easier to conjure your own water, than it was to manipulate worldly sources.

Thinking back on his previous endeavor, Eran decided he’d only supply a hundredth of a percent of his total mana-well this time.

‘Tear Droplet’, Eran called the spell in his mind , and let his Mana form.

Just like desired, a single point above his palm morphed and turned into a crystal clear droplet of water.

And much like the previous time, the droplet fizzed a little and erupted into a torrent, spraying water everywhere.

Akin to an open fire hydrant back on Earth, Erans hand was spraying chilling, crystal clear water throughout his room.

As quickly as possible Eran stopped supplying the spell with mana, but the damage was already done.

His entire room was flooded and saturated with water.

‘This isn't going to go down well with the Innkeeper’ Eran thought to himself glumly.

As he was slightly starting to panic and even contemplated trying to claim another room as his, Eran remembered another one of his theory classes back on Earth.

The class consisted of a lecture about a branch of spells called the ‘Elemental Control’ series. Much like the name suggested, the spell gives the caster the ability to manipulate a chosen element to some extent.

As he had previously pointed out, this was a very difficult spell as it involved manipulating worldly sources compared to conjuring.

Resigned to at least giving it try, Eran recalled the system needed and stood at the ready.

The spell itself did not use a portion of Mana from the caster like the conjuring spells did, and instead used the Mana within the chosen Element itself. The name that covers all the spell series that were similar to ‘Elemental Control’ was Mana Manipulation.

Eran searched for the Mana within the water with his own, just like the lecture had told him too and soon felt it. It felt cold, wet and strangely… blue. Clearing his mind of everything but the feeling of coldness, the texture of wetness and the emotions of the color blue, Eran slowly moved his hands up and aimed them towards the bath tub in his room.

Although Eran had his eyes closed to focus, and couldn’t actually see, he knew that the spell was working as the ‘feelings’ had moved a few meters left, from his room to the bathroom and he eventually felt them go all the way down the drain of the tub.

Slowly opening his eyes as the spell faded, Eran was shocked as his room looked completely normal, if not a little cleaner. There was no evidence of the water spell left in his room which made Eran jump onto his bed cheering.

For the first time in his life, he had used magic, and it had actually done what he wanted!

Thoroughly pleased with himself, Eran went down stairs to have dinner with his gir- with Cassidy.

(Side story)

One evening in the middle of summer, a strange event occurred. In the local area of Beaufort, in the reaches of Astra Alpha, something was amiss. Seemingly out of nowhere, all of the water sources in a 10 mile radius of Beaufort, had risen a few meters from the ground and with the water in the air, formed large spherical globs.

These spheres of water merely floated for a few seconds, then moved a couple meters to the left and fell back down to the ground, as if they had never moved.

The people of Beaufort would for years to come, refer to this night as one of the great mysteries of Beaufort, whilst a nearby farmer would forever refer to the night as a miracle. His barn which was engulfed in flames from his own sons carelessness, had all of a sudden been doused by large spheres of water that seemed to have come from a nearby waterhole.

Knowing that it must have been the act of the gods, both the peoples of Beaufort and farmers all through Alpha Astra, prayed to the gods in thankfulness for their good fortune.

~Chapter 5

~Chapter Guide~

Chapter 7~