I woke up to the sun shining through my window. I wonder how people tell time here. Leaving that for later, I got up out of bed. The clothes I was wearing seemed to not have a single wrinkle in them. I can't tell what else these clothes can do. Would they repair a tear? Knock out grass stains?

I stretched and walked out of my room. MY ROOM! "I don't think I'll ever get used to that."

"Get used to what?"

I jerked my head up from watching the floor as I walked to see Arterian sitting in a chair reading a book. "Sorry. I tend to talk to myself when I'm thinking."

"There's no need to apologize; lots of people do that. What won't you get used to?"

I walked over to an open chair and sat down. "Um..." This is embarrassing. "Having my own room, I guess." I scratched at the back of my head out of habit.

"Ha!" Arterian barked out a laugh. "You had better get used to it. Lena is likely going to dote on you, Jak." He changed to a conspiratorial whisper. "She didn't act on it much last night, but she has wanted a child for years. We talked more last night, she felt terrible for you. She asked if there was more we could do and we came up with a few things." His eyes glinted as if he had told a joke. "You being skilled with alchemy is only going to exacerbate her want to be there for you. I had to send her to the lab because she was getting impatient, waiting for you to wake up."

"Speaking of waking up, I'm used to being up early. How do you tell time without a clock?"

Arterian put a hand on his chin. "We hadn't thought about the need for an alarm. We'll add that to the list of things to pick up." He bent over a list of items on the table we ate at last night and added the alarm at the bottom. "There is an enchantment that can be placed on a bell. The bell will ring after a set amount of time when activated. As for telling time, we use the city bells. They ring once at first light, twice at midday, and the three times before darkness falls. What is a clock? I've never heard that term before."

"I'm not sure how to explain it if you don't know what a machine is."

"A machine, like an automaton? Gears and things powered by a mana core?"

"That sounds kind of close. A clock would have gears powered to measure the time from sun up to sun down and then back to sun up again."

Arterian had a confused look on his face. "What is a sun? What does it have to do with time?"

It was my turn to be confused. "The big bright ball in the sky that lights everything up?"

"Light just comes and goes, it does follow a schedule, but it isn't influenced by a 'sun.' We don't have anything that sounds like that."

I felt like I had been slapped. No sun... but that makes no sense. How do the seasons... I sprung forward in my chair. "Wait, if you don't have a sun, how do seasons work? When is winter? Spring, Summer, or Fall? Do you have a rainy season? What causes the weather to change?"

"Woah, woah, woah. I don't know what you're talking about exactly. The Plane doesn't have any significant change in the weather. If you climb the mountains, you could find snow. But that's the only significant change I can think of."

I slumped back in my chair. I forgot this was a plane, that means there is no rotation for seasons to happen.

"You'll get used to it." Arterian moved a thin metal plate to the tabletop. "You wanted to find out what your elemental affinities were, right?" He smirked, knowing he was distracting me.

"I do!"

"This device is enchanted to tell us your elemental affinity. There are six rings of light, the intensity of their glow to indicates your talent. Put your hands on either side and keep them there." He slid the device in front of me.

I set my hands on either side, settling them on top of identical runes. After a few seconds, I felt a pulse run through me. It felt like having a massive bug crawl up each arm, meet in the middle, and crawl back down. As soon as the feeling made it back to my hands, the device started to light up. Arterian spoke up before I could ask about it.

"This is amazing. You are talented with wind magic, but the rest of your affinities are all average." The glow coming off one of the rings kept getting brighter. Arterian hesitated for a moment, shock on his face. "I.. I don't think I've tested anyone and seen an affinity that high."

"How does the device determine my talent? Could it be wrong?" I asked. Did I break it?

"The device checks a few things. First, it checks each elemental resonance with your mana. Second, it tests your control over the mana as it passes through your body. Third, and finally, it checks the speed of the mana as it passes back out." Seeing the last question still bothering me, Arterian continued. "I have never seen it be wrong before. You, Jak, are highly talented with Wind Magic."

"Is there any record of humans or other Heroes with talent as high as mine?"

"The histories of heroes are not clear, but they were always influential people. They united the Planes millennia ago, that is, until recently. They sealed the dragons out of the Planes. They even found a way to end the war between the Fauns and the Elves. The Fauns moved out of the Silverwood and now primarily reside on the Shattered Plane.

"But among humans, such ability is not common at all. It's much more prevalent among the Kitsune, but even that is still not common." Arterian stood and grabbed the metal slate. "Let me put this away, and we will go grab Lena to pick up the things we need from the market.

--

We stepped outside, and I got my first look at the house I'd be calling home. It was painted burgundy with a stout roof. Between their shops and the house was an elaborate garden. All kinds of herbs grew here, but I couldn't recognize any of them. "This is our garden. I use lots of herbs, Lena does too," Arterian said. "Many herbs work a dual purpose for us, but Lena also grows plenty of extras that she uses for her experiments."

We stepped into the back hallway and turned to our right to head towards the workshop, but before we could head in, we heard voices coming from the shop. "Thanks for picking it up, Cassie. It's too bad you couldn't meet Jak."

"Actually, you can," Arterian said as he stepped into the apothecary shop front. He stepped to the side to afford me some room.

I looked at the girl standing in the lobby. She was younger than me, but only by a few years. I quickly moved my attention to the furry ears sticking out of the top of her head and the fluffy fox tail behind her. Her hair and fur were a matching light brown.

"Hello! My name is Cassandra, but you can call me Cassie." She chirped with a cute smile. The identification agreed with her.

[Cassandra - Kitsune, Level 2]

I smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Cassie. My name is Jak." I bowed my head.

She looked surprised, but Arterian and Lena grinned.

"Cassie works at an Inn near the adventurer's guild at the edge of town, called Adventure's End. They buy quite a bit of our stock to resell over there." Lena supplied.

"Martin, my master and the owner of The End, sent me over to pick up this week's order!" Cassie stated proudly as her right ear flicked. "I'm learning to work at The End!"

"Cassie," Arterian interrupted. "Would you be able to ask Martin if he knows someone that could teach [Wind Manipulation] to Jak? Make sure to say that Lena is asking."

"Can do! I've got to go. It was nice meeting you, Jak! I'll see you around, ya?"

"It was nice to meet you too, Cassie. I hope we run into each other again."

Cassie turned and grabbed the crate of vials, her ears stood straight up as she stood up with it. I watched as her tail swayed while she walked. "Cassie is a wonderful girl," Lena stated. "And Martin is a kind man. He buys up slaves as he can afford to pay them to work in his Inn. He treats them quite well too."

"Few enough in the city do," stated Arterian. "Speaking of which. While we are out, I'll be acting the part of Lena's slave. You'll have to be careful with how we speak while we are out."

Lena was locking up the shop. "What's this about wind magic then?"

"Apparently, I have a strong affinity with wind magic," I offered. "I'm glad as that one sounded the best from what you told me last night at dinner, Arterian."

"Power-wise, wind magic is the weakest. However, it fills a huge role in its utility. Assisting movement, speeding up reactions, sensory skills, and many more abilities beyond that. Wind magic has few attack spells, the most common of which is the [Wind blade]." Lena said.

"Enough of that, let's go buy what we need to get you settled in."

--

The last of the morning and most of the afternoon was a blur. We stopped back at Rhaln's Glass shop much to his surprise as we bought extra equipment for me to use. Lena also asked Rhaln to deliver a large number of vials. We stopped at an enchanter's tent to get another mountable heating ring and an alarm. Shortly after this, the midday bell tolled. We grabbed skewers from a food stall and walked around until we finished the well-seasoned meat and vegetables.

After eating, we moved to the actual storefronts that dealt with specialty items. We spent the most time so far at a tailor. It was quickly agreed that most colors matched my white hair and sharp blue eyes. But they focused on gray, green, and blue fabrics for contrast. Lena ended up ordering 12 outfits for me in total. I couldn't fathom how much she was going to pay for them, but no one haggled over the prices.

The whole time we were out shopping, Lena was asking me questions about life growing up. I told her about the homes I had stayed in, classes I studied in school, and about the bullies. Arterian was always close by, pushing a cart that carried all the things we had purchased.

Eventually, we walked by a weapons shop. It made me curious, so I stopped and asked, "What kind of animals or monsters need all these different kinds of weapons to fight them? Bears? Wolves?"

"Arterian, could you instruct Jak Since you are trained in combat?"

"Yes, mistress." Arterian bowed to Lena. "We do have bears and wolves, but those are not the primary source of pain for the Kingdom of Rune. Goblins are the leading cause of death outside the city walls. Dungeons can hold the undead, enraged elementals, or even more goblins. The Great Wood to the far southeast is home to the treants. Not all treants are monsters, though. It depends on your actions and words when you encounter them.

"The worst problem we have is when a Goblin King shows up like what happened just last year. It is likely the main reason you were summoned. The appearance of a Goblin King leads to an increase of the higher-ranked goblins. Hobgoblins and Horned Goblins can cause issues on a massive scale for farming communities or other trade centers.

"Do not dismiss wolves, bears, or trolls, though. They can easily catch you unawares and end your life."

"The war isn't going well currently according to the information that is circulating," Lena said. "Over a month ago, we lost part of our army to a band of Horned Goblin Magi. They ambushed the troops riding Stone Striders near the High Peak Pass."

Just then a Faun fell out the front door of the weapons shop. “I told you not to touch anything you stupid goat!” A man followed him out and kicked him while he was on the floor. “Go back to your master and tell him to come himself. I won’t deal with your kind.” And he spat on the fallen Faun, turned, and went back inside..

“Is he going to be okay?” I asked quietly.

Lena caught my eye, “He will probably get beaten when he gets back. Not many people treat Demi-humans like they are people.”

“This is worse than what I went through back home. So much worse.” I clenched my fists so hard they turned white. “I wish they could fight back, or they could be free.”

Arterian leaned in and whispered, “It would take a lot for the Demi-humans to be free here. A lot of Humans would have to fight on our behalf.

Lena watched me for a bit as I processed the information. We eventually stepped into a bakery for a rest. Arterian ordered a snack for Lena and me as we moved to a small booth in a corner. By the time we got situated, Arterian had come back with a small plate of rolls.

"Do you want to learn to fight, Jak?" Lena asked.

"I think I would?" I said since I wasn't totally sure. "I'd like to be able to defend myself for once. And I think I would like to explore the Planes too. I've never had my own freedom. Always stuck in the system that made me feel like I had no place."

I looked up to see the concern on both of their faces. "I'm not saying I want to leave!" I backpedaled a bit so they wouldn't think I was ungrateful. "I want to explore and learn alchemy."

"Don't think that we don't want you to have your own freedom for a second. I just don't want to see you hurt. Wild animals and monsters can be extremely deadly. Could we get you some training before we make a plan?" Lena said while Arterian nodded along slightly.

"Of course! I don't plan to leave right away. I do like having goals, though, so that suits me just fine."

Lena and Arterian visibly relaxed. It was odd having someone actually care about me. Lena piped up. "I think it would be wise to stop at The End and ask Martin about weapons training as well."

"Indeed, Mistress," Arterian inserted. "We might be able to get something scheduled with Martin for Magical training at the same time."

--

Adventure's End was the tallest building I'd seen up close, excluding the castle. It was four stories tall. The top three floors were all the same size in a squared-off shape, having an almost dormitory feel to it. The bottom floor was much larger and had multiple entrances. Lena and I stepped inside the door labeled Adventuring Shop, and Arterian maneuvered his small cart inside the door.

The inside was a tangle of items spread across many shelves without any apparent organization. Swords, axes, staves, and other long-handled tools were all stored in various barrels at the back of the room. One wall was covered in pegs with multiple armor pieces attached to a single spot causing the wall to stick out at odd angles into the aisle. There was a massive spool of rope that was taller than me. Behind the front desk were various weapons that had some quality from them that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

Also behind the desk was Cassie and another Kitsune with pretty Gray hair and furry ears and tail tipped in black like an ink brush. She had a pert nose and a small mouth in a pretty neutral expression. Her violet eyes screamed distrust while her eyebrows knotted together. She was closer to my age if I had to guess. Looking at her long enough showed the identification.

[Athena - Kitsune, Level 6]

Cassie waved excitedly at me. "Hello, Jak! I didn't expect to see you again today! This is Athena, she is helping train me!"

I waved back to Cassie, but Lena stepped in before I could say anything. "We are here to speak to Martin. Is he around?"

Athena spoke up in an even tone. "Master is in a meeting with a team leader that just came back. They should be done shortly. I will let him know as soon as possible if you would like to wait, Miss Helena."

We looked around the shop for a while. Not too long later, a man likely in his 20's stepped out of a back room. He walked out of the shop into the Inn portion of The End. Athena headed through the door and came back a minute late beckoning to us. "Martin is ready to see you. Arterian, you may leave the cart with us."

We moved through the hallway, passing three open rooms that only had a table and chairs furnishing them. The room at the end of the hall was an office. It was lavishly furnished with plush chairs, an elaborately carved dark wood desk, and bookshelves lining the room.

"Lena! Arterian! Wonderful to see you two as always," Martin belted out, obviously charismatic. "And who is this? Are you who Cassie said needed training in Wind Manipulation?"

"I'm Jak, it's nice to meet you." We shook hands, and he herded us over to the chairs.

"Wonderful! It's great to meet you too!" He boomed. I can see where Cassie gets some of her exuberance if she has spent any amount of time around this man. "I think I know of an adventurer that could teach you. Should we set up a time for them to meet?" He asked while looking at Lena and Arterian.

The couple smiled, and Arterian spoke up as we all sat down. "That would be great. But we stopped by to see if Jak could get some training with a weapon as well. Also, I thought it would be prudent to warn you that Jak has an extremely high aptitude for the wind element."

I watched as Martin's eyebrows climbed his forehead as Arterian finished speaking. "How high are we talking?" Martin cocked his head slightly.

"The highest I've ever seen. Jak maxed out the testing tool, I believe."

Martin stared at me with an incredulous look until he seemed to have an epiphany. "You're the hero the King wanted to summon. It's easy to forget that white hair was the indicator unless you immerse yourself in history." Confusion took its place on his face after that. "Why are you with Lena and Arterian. Don't get me wrong," he said, seeing my steely gaze. "I have nothing against any of the Demi-Humans. Lena and Arterian are both some of the best people I know," I relaxed after hearing him say that. "I just didn't expect the King to give up his hold on a Hero after buying up all the mana crystals to power the summoning."

I told him about the event at the castle, then Lena and Arterian jumped in and explained how they had taken me in. Just hearing it come from them made the pangs in my chest resurge. I barely managed to keep the tears back. They finished talking about it all and how they were out getting stuff for me to live with them when Martin continued.

"I've got an idea for someone to train you Wind Manipulation then. Is it okay if I send a Kitsune?" Martin turned his question to me.

"I don't mind at all. I would like to meet more Demi-Humans anyhow. The place I was summoned from didn't have any."

Martin raised his eyebrows again as his eyes shone with mischief. "The same person should be able to train you in most weaponry. Do you know what kind of weapon you would like to wield, or do you already have skill with one?"

I shrugged, "I don't have any skills yet, or a specific weapon in mind. I am a pretty quick learner, though."

"You don't have ANY skills?" He asked.

"I have 8 levels in Alchemy, but that's it right now."

"What level are you, boy?!" Martin asked incredulously.

"I'm level 1," I answered.