Thera yawned and stretched, still a bit sore from the ride.

They had ridden three days and three nights, with barely enough time to switch out horses. They had eaten, drank, and even slept in the saddle. In that amount of time, they had come from the flatlands in the center of the country to the roots of the mountains at its edge.

Then they had had taken a deer trail up the nearby mountain.

All along the way there, Thera had noticed well-hidden traps and pitfalls and defense mechanisms which Thales led them around, or disabled with a staff as they passed, re-enabling the devices afterwards.

Then, Master Thales had led them down a barely-discernible path, over rope bridges and through a waterfall entrance into a beautiful mountain-surrounded valley, illuminated by the setting sun.

“Now, Thera, I don’t want you to reveal your cultivation level to anyone for the next five years, understand?

From now on, you are only officially here to study magic, and your name is Miss Rose.” Thales asked in a low voice that only Thera could hear. She nodded. It wasn’t anything different from what she usually did.

Thera didn’t have much of a chance to enjoy the view before she had to jerk back her head. A stone flew through where it had been before.

“Raymond.” Thales growled a warning. “That is no way to treat a guest.”

“How’d you know it was me?” A freckled brown-haired boy around twelve years old asked as he poked his head through the bushes he was hiding in.

Laura snorted. “Because no one else would do something so tactless, nimrod. You start quarrels with every squirrel in the valley. One of these days you’ll find you’ve awoken a sleeping dragon, and then you’ll have no way out.” She winked at Thera and ushered her horse forward.

“I’ll go tell Madam Rothema we’re here!” She called as she cantered down the road.

“Is that ANOTHER CAT?! What’s she doing bringing ANOTHER CAT here? Are we going to eat it for dinner?”

Raymond was getting on Thera’s nerves. “It’s a familiar, meat-head.” She said. “And if you even try to eat her, I’ll roast you with a fireball and feed you to the beasts.” She frowned.

“Try it, I dare you!” He stuck out his tongue.

She snapped her fingers and a fireball flared right in front of his face, singeing his eyebrows and causing him to jerk back and fall on his butt, before it disappeared. Laughter came from other areas in the trees.

“A warning.” She said in passing as they rode by.

The boy's face turned red at the humiliation, and his frustration felt like steam building up inside of him. His eyes followed her down the road, promising revenge for this humiliation.

“She sure got you good, Ray!” One of the laughing boys came out of the trees to help him up. “For all that she’s probably half your age.”

“Just you wait! I’ll have her crying for home by week’s end!” He snarled. Staring down the road, he muttered “No one makes a fool out of me!”

-----------------------

After riding a bit longer, a large manor house, larger than Thera’s own home, stood on one side of the road. A garden of bright colorful flowers grew right in front of it, and climbing ivy had climbed up the sides of the house, covering it in a leafy blanket.

It was a very pretty picture indeed, although it seemed a bit out of place in a forest, far away from a city.

Laura came outside and motioned that they were to go in, but did not follow them. Instead, Laura went to take care of the horses, after the long hard ride.

When Thera got down from the saddle, she found that she could hardly stand, and simply collapsed onto the ground, completely saddle-sore.

Master Thales laughed. "I forgot that you're not used to riding." Out of pity, he picked her up and brought her inside.

Madam Rothema met them in her study. She was an elderly woman, with grey hair just beginning to get streaked with white, around 40 years old, by Thera’s reckoning.

“So, I am to understand that you wish for me to teach this youngling in magic? Well, I’m not so sure about it. Cats are always welcome. But, as for this girl, it depends.” She said, sipping her tea, examining the little slip of a girl that had been carried in.

“Depends upon what?” Thera asked.

“It depends upon whether you have talent or not, child.” She said, in a matter of fact way. “What is your rank and class?”

“Second rank, Apprentice class.” She said.

Madam Rothema did a double-take. “Nonsense! You’re only six years old!” She fussed. “If you’re so sure, why don’t you do an intermediate spell for me?”

Thera nodded, and concentrated, pulling her sore legs up into a sitting position and casting [Levitate]. She could do all the spells she had learned at the no-chant level, she’d practiced them so often, and this was the highest level of spell that she knew.

“I see…Did you have any help with this?” Madam Rothema asked, while Thera was still floating.

“No Ma’am. This was all a result of self-study.” Thera replied.

“Heavens! And how long can you maintain the spell?” She asked.

“Difficult to say. I feel that I should be able to sustain about five of the same spell for a twenty-four hour duration, if they’ve got a similar weight as me.” She admitted.

“And can you use all of your spells up to this one at the [no chant] level?”(Rothema)

“Yes!”

“Goodness! I see now why you wanted me to guide this young child, Thales. Any other magician would have their work cut out for them. Isn’t that right?” Madam Rothema inquired.

Thales smiled. “You know me so well, Madam Rothema, that it amazes me sometimes. I’ll leave you with your new student, then. I’ve got that band of ruffians to put right after all. That leader is going to find himself with extra homework when I tell Master Fraun what he’s been up to.”

He somehow managed to back out so quickly that Thera was honestly impressed.

Madame Rothema watched him leave, a bemused smile on her face.

“That Thales, always in such a rush! …Well, child? Would you like to see your room, or would you like to begin immediately?” Madam Rothema asked, making it understood that she had already accepted Thera as her student.

“Begin what?” Thera asked.

“Why, learning, of course!” She replied. “How long have you been stuck at second rank?”

“Two months.”

“Well, do you want to have a breakthrough before the night has ended?”

Now that Thera was at Blue rank, she didn’t need half as much sleep as others did. She nodded, “Let’s start learning!” She said eagerly.

“Wonderful! I have a feeling that your stay here will do you a heap of good with that attitude!” Madam Rothema chortled gleefully, her face breaking out into a beautiful smile. “It’s all about attitude. If you’re reluctant to learn, then you’ll not get half as far as one who learned eagerly. Come, come! Follow me.”

Thera eagerly tried to get up, but was surprised when her legs gave out and she collapsed in the seat again. "Um, I'd like to, but..." She blushed.

"Wait, you don't have to tell me. You must be saddle-sore, right? That Thales! He might be smart, but sometimes he's not considerate at all!" Madam Rothema snapped her fingers, and the chair Thera was sitting on rose up in the air a few inches and began to follow closely behind the lady with glasses.

She led Thera down the hallway to the Library. Imagine a room twice as big as the one in Beauty and the Beast. Now, imagine bookshelves reaching all the way up to the ceiling covering the floor in between the walls as well, and you’ll understand how many books there were.

Thera stared for a long time. “Have you read all of these books, Ma’am?”

Madam Rothema chuckled. “Yes, child, I’ve read all of them. And by the time you’re finished, you’ll have read most of them as well, I’d imagine. But we mustn’t dally.”

She cleared away several piles of books off a nearby table, placing them on the other table, which groaned under its new weight, yet still held them up.

“Let’s start off with some light reading….Have you read Ghoeter’s Theory of magic, yet?”

“No, Ma’am.”

“Then we’ll start you off with that. Then Carews, Rhelmond, and Dartun, as well as Fleming, and Hegimond…”

Madam Rothema’s idea of ‘light reading’ was an entire 22 books long.

“Read them all the way through, now!” Madam Rothema warned, before leaving to finish her tea.

------------------------------------

Thera's arms reached upwards, stretching once more. She had spent until midnight reading those books, but their contents were truly burned into her memory. Not only that, she had broken through into the third rank of Apprentice class as easily as walking through an open doorway. How had it been so difficult before?

She tottered weakly out the library, and leaned against he hallway wall, yawning and rubbing her eyes as her stomach growled. She had been so busy reading that she had skipped dinner.

“I won’t be able to get any sleep like this.” She mumbled and made her way as quietly as she could to the kitchen area. It seemed Yukikaze and Laura's cat, Sarhan, had already eaten as well- judging from the empty milk saucers placed on the floor.

On the counter, she noticed that there was a cloth-covered dish with a note and a key next to it.

Child,

If you finish before dawn, here’s some food for you.

Directions to your room: Go up the stairs, and down the hallway. It will be your third door on the right hand side. In the future, you may bring your reading to your room to study, as there is an empty spare bookcase. Even though I have given you a reading list, there really isn’t any sort of restrictions on reading. As long as you finish the list of suggested books, feel free to choose a book or several that may interest you.

Madam Rothema

Thera stared at the message until her stomach started growling again. Then she lifted the cloth placed over the plate. Half a roast chicken, two dinner rolls, and a small salad later, she was feeling much better, but even more tired than before. Thera laboriously climbed up the stairs. Stopping every few steps and wondering if she shouldn't just sleep on the stairway. But eventually, she managed to get all the way up the stairs to her room, falling asleep instantly as soon as her head touched the pillow-the key clenched tightly in her hand.

She awoke slightly after dawn, and changed into something simple and easy to wear. All those buttoned frocks were too difficult to put on without help anyways.

She came downstairs to see Madam Rothema, sitting at the dining room table, having breakfast.

“I see you are an early riser. Have a seat, please, child.”

Thera remained standing, despite feeling like her legs were made of rubber bands.

“Who is a child? My name is Ther-…Rose…my name is Briar Rose.”

She remembered Master Thale’s instructions just in time. While she wasn't sure if those instructions applied to Madam Rothema or not, Thera wasn't willing to take any chances. Of course, she added her name from her previous life, but if you’re going to use a fake name, it’s best to use a comfortable one.

“Miss Rose, is it? Very well then, have a seat, please, Miss Rose… I’ll expect you to call me Teacher from now on, though, in exchange.”

Thera nodded, smiling ever so slightly, “Yes, Teacher.”

After breakfast, She was given a pile of books twice as high as the previous pile-to read before lunch. It did not seem like a chore, though, but a challenge. Thera liked challenges; they made things interesting.

------------------------------

The next day, Madam Rothema gave her a pile of a hundred books to read, plus a basket full of picnic foodstuff.

“Go outside and read. It’s not good for you to spend all of your time indoors at such an early age. Once you’ve finished with your readings, you may go play.”

Thera looked surprised at the amount of books, but still accepted the assignment, nodding her head. “Yes, Teacher! I’ll be going, then.” She gathered the books and the lunch basket into her bottomless bag, and set out to find a good spot to read.

Her legs were feeling much better now, as she could walk quite comfortably. She stretched and tested their endurance. Jogging was uncomfortable, but do-able if necessary.Wandering around, she soon managed to find a comfortable-looking tree to read under. Yet, just as she was getting comfortable, a shadow fell across the book she was reading.

-------------------------------

It was Ray, leering down at her. “Well, well, well! Look who it is! It’s the little fireball!”

Thera merely glanced up once. “Well, well, well. Look who it is. It’s the big meat-headed numbskull~!” She said straight back.

Ray’s face twisted and turned red with anger. In fact, he was so mad that he couldn’t speak.

“Hey, you’re that bad from just a simple trade of words? Like my mother always says, “If you can’t take it, then don’t dish it out.” Thera said, watching his reactions. From the looks of him, he wasn't likely to remain quiet for much longer.

She placed a bookmark in and closed her book. Then she stood up, patting dust and stray pieces of grass off the back of her skirt, before walking away.

“Where do you think you’re going?!” Ray finally squealed.

“Somewhere quiet.” She replied. “YOU may have lots of time on your hands, but I’VE got homework to finish. Later, then!” She walked quickly further into the forest, ignoring the stiff discomfort in her legs.

“Get back here!” he squeaked as he ran after her…But after thirty minutes of running, he found himself gasping for breath, and quite left behind.

“How does she have so much stamina?” He panted. “And how can she walk faster than I can run?! I’m better off waiting outside the forest. I’ll get her when she returns.” He said through gritted teeth.

In the end, he ended up waiting for so long that he fell asleep, and she walked right past him on her way home that day, un-accosted. When he woke a few hours later, he discovered his face had been doodled on.

------------------------------

After that day, Master Thales left once more, and did not return the next day, or the day after that. He would pop in every now and then, but Thera never realized when he visited. She was either buried in her studies, or outside exploring the hidden valley. He would only stay for a few minutes to an hour, dropping off supplies and letters from Thera's parents before leaving just as swiftly as he'd come with the reply letters she'd written.

Like that, the days turned into weeks, the weeks turned into months, and soon enough, five years had gone by.

During those five years, Thera unceasingly trained herself in magic and martial arts.

She set up targets along her route through the woods, and she would practice her aim as she sped by, throwing needles she had gathered from a Porkiplant: a plant covered in needles spines. If the plant sensed anything coming near through the tremors in the ground, it would shoot out its needles to scare off predators.

Thera had managed to get it to waste all of its spines by jumping into a tree out of its range and throwing rocks around it for a day. Only when it was completely out of spines did she gather them up. She painstakingly collected the spines. She also took the plant home, because porkiplant tastes wonderful in soup.

She fought the local monsters to hone her skills, and gained many insights into different fighting methods.

There was no one else to learn from, aside from the methods of her previous life, and the fighting methods of the wild beasts.

She used the rugged terrain of the forest to train her stamina, reflexes, and speed.

She never wasted a second, these five years. Everything she did, even while resting, was aimed towards becoming stronger, faster, smarter. This world was not a world where the weaker people would be left to their own devices…

-----------------------------------------------------------

Thera closed the last book from her allotted homework for that day and stretched, enjoying the cool forest air for a brief moment. Then she sighed.

“Well this is just sad. What do you want now, Ray?”

“You know what I want! A duel! If I win you become my servant and do whatever I say!” He said, with a confident grin as he rubbed his nose proudly. Thera regarded him as a child, since he hadn’t learned to stop picking on people younger than him. It seems it was time to teach him that lesson yet again, today.

“Ah? But what if I win?” Thera asked, nonchalantly.

“Then we’ll give your mangy cat back to you.” He said. Ray had grown into a handsome young boy in the past five years, but for all that, he still had a foul mouth.

“Ara? A hostage situation? How interesting.” Thera smiled. “Then, let’s just see what you can do.” She stood up. "I hope you don't lose pitifully like last time."