"This!" with branches on each hand, he extended them to me.

"......None," I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Seriously, you don't have to do this!"

"There's gotta be one around here," he threw his sticks behind him before looking side to side. "Must it really be a Maku tree branch or something?"

"Maakh, and yes it should be," I replied. "Other tree branches can't even compare to it in terms of handling magic. Well, some could but magic is so low."

It was useless talk, for the airhead wasn't listening as he looked up at trees, like he was checking them. Seriously, I even told him I would know if there is a Maakh tree around.

"Geez! I'm already tired!" I knelt down on the ground, relieving myself from my weighing bag and leaned on it. "Why do you have so much energy?"

The airhead wasn't listening, and was busy rustling himself inside a bush. His head popped out, leaves clinging unto his hair as he swayed it both ways.

"Forget it! Like I said, a Maakh tree is very hard to find," I groaned. "No matter how many sticks or twigs you bring me, it won't increase our chances. It's just a waste of time and energy!"

He wasn't listening to me. I only let out a sigh of annoyance.

"You're really serious huh?" I asked, looking at him with heavy eyes.

Still, he wasn't listening. I decided to let him be, as paying him attention is just annoying. I laid there on the grassy area of the open forest, gazing at the clouds above.

It was quiet. A very peaceful feeling. It felt like nothing in the world meant anything. It was like back in those days, where I would lie down like this, waiting for father to come out of his council meeting with the elder mages. Mother would be at my side, arranging flowers to make into a crown. If it was aunt Vashki with me, she would make a flower wreath instead.

No, there is no use reminiscing the past. Pain will never be strength, no matter how I think of it. I should not let the past be hindrance to my success. I stood up, noticing that the airhead had been away for quite a while.

"Now where did he go?" I put on my bag and followed the trail of messed up bushes and leaves. Just how far did he go? And how long was I in a daze?

"Airhead? Where are you?" I raised my voice, yet not strong enough to attract those that might be that far. "Man, what a pain..."

"Friesha!" the fool suddenly popped his head out of a bush.

"Ahhh! You!!" I almost leaped back (I couldn't help it. I got cautious around me.)

"Seems like there's none here," he said in a sad tone.

"Come one, I told you already. I'll know it if there's one near me," I sighed. "Come on, let's get going."

"Where are we headed anyway?" he asked as he jumped out of the bush.

"Anywhere," I replied. "I don't want to go to the Tomb of Origin without a staff. Surely, a lot of dangers will wait for me on the way there. It's better to be prepared."

"But what if there's a Maku tree on the way? Won't it be easier that way?"

"......"

"......"

"Let's just go," I left with a quick pace. "And distance yourself from me. I'll catch your airheadedness."

"O-oi! Wait" he followed behind. "And what do you mean by that?!"

"Five, no ten feet! Stay ten feet away from me!" I shouted.

"Oi!"

We have been walking for quite a while now. Suddenly I felt poking on my shoulder.

"Oi, Friesha..." Felgard then pointed to the skies in front of us. "Look, doesn't that look like a storm?"

I too looked up to see, "Ah, dark clouds... and they're pretty big! Truly, that will be a storm- Hey! Why are you near me?! Ten feet! I said ten feet!!"

"What's with your rules and stuff?.." Felgard then scratched the back of his head as he went back five feet away from me.

"Just because..." this airhead and I have been through things. Staying too close might become dangerous.

I'm a soon to be woman as he is a growing man, this could lead to something horrible like on those fiction books I've read about. It will start as friends, soon they'll begin to get a lot closer, until eventually they will end up accidentally holding each other's hands, and then... and then...

"Ah, it's raining..." Felgard then spoke as soon as droplets of rain fell down from the sky, to be scattered after hitting the ground.

It became stronger, leaving us under no shelter against it. We then ended up under a large tree with only a number of droplets dropping down from it, yet it wasn't enough to protect us from being wet. The environment became blurry as the rain was too strong.

"Hey Friesha, look at that!" Felgard then pointed towards something that looked like a roof past the trees. "We might be able to take shelter there..."

"Well, if we have no other choice then let's go..." disregarding the heavy rain, we ran towards where the roof-like construction was. Without looking at whatever it was, we immediately went inside the moment we saw huge doors welcoming us.

"Aah! I'm soaked.." Felgard complained as he began removing his top clothes.

"Hey! What are you doing?!!"

"Huh? What else? I'm drying my clothes."

"No, no no! I'll dry you myself like last time, so don't go removing your clothes in front of me!!"

"Oh, ok..."

I then was about to cast a spell when the sound of footsteps were heard just behind me, "Excuse me, you two..."

I then looked behind me and saw a girl, about a few years older, (and prettier in fact) in pure white clothing with golden edges on her clothes. She was walking towards us in a slow cautious pace. When she got nearer, the veil on her head confirmed what I thought she was. I immediately pulled back my doe ears as much as I could and ruffly messed up my hair to cover it. Hopefully, it would be enough.

"Could you two be lost children under the rain too?" she spoke with such a calm demeanor in her words. She was indeed, a nun. And this place was a church.

"Oh no. Both of you are very wet. You might get sick if you won't warm up," she then turned back as she ran. "Dave! Gloria! Shamili! Get me two towels!!"

I then turned towards Felgard and whispered, "Hey, don't tell her I'm a mage. It will surely cause trouble."

"I know that," was his response which gave me a relief.

About a minute later, she came with two large towels in hand. Behind her were five children tailing her around with two of them carrying clothes, "You two can use these, so you won't catch a cold."

"Oh, it's ok. Friesha said she'll dry me up," Felgard unexpectedly (though I should have expected) spoke without thinking. The stupid fool...

"Dry you up? How?" the nun gave a confused expression.

"Ahahaha! D-don't worry! My friend didn't mean to say that, he's such a jokester you see..." I was very startled.

"Huh? But you said you wou-eeaaaahh!" I gave his back the deadliest pinch I could give.

"Hahaha! I mean, how could I possibly do that?..." I then stared at Felgard with evil intent.

"That sounds weird, right?" one of the children spoke.

"Yeah, what does she mean dry him up," the other one replied to the other.

"C-could she mean, about dirty stuff?" another one replied.

I think these children have too wild of an imagination to comprehend the situation.

"Hey, children. Don't think about things like that inside the church," she then extended to us the towels where we gladly accepted, as well as the clothes.

Felgard then just immediately took off his clothes without a care in front of everyone. I managed to protect my eyes as I looked away yet the others were unfazed by it.

"Dear me, isn't he lively?" the nun just smiled while the other children didn't even care.

"Um... Is there a changing room or something, for me to change clothes in private?" I asked her as a woman trying to defend my femininity.

"Oh dear. Please forgive my negligence. Follow me," she then turned back and walked as I followed her. Of course I'd be embarrassed, but how could she just smile in front of a boy's naked body?

It turned out there were rooms in this old church as we entered a door at the left corner of the altar. There was also a dining room as well as a kitchen. We went upstairs and stopped in front of a huge door.

"Is it fine here?" she gently asked me.

"Ah, I think it's okay, thank you," I then entered the empty room and began changing.

The problem would be how to hide my ears. The clothes which were given to me were only a shirt and a pale green skirt. If only there was an extra cloth for me to hide my ears. I was just lucky they didn't notice them, perhaps because it was slightly dark. If I go out with the same ruffly hair, they'll surely think something's amiss. I had no other choice but to cast a spell, increasing the shirt's length up to my knees. I then wore the skirt on my head, like a head scarf to cover my ears. It took only about five minutes to get myself prepared.

"Waah! You look fresh and pretty!" she clapped her hands and smiled gently at me, who was very nervous of being found out.

"Ahahaha, thanks," I was relieved my improvisation worked just fine as we both went back down towards the church.

"Waaahhhh! Who are you?!!" the airheaded fool screamed out of nowhere.

"It's me, you stupid airhead..." I could tell, he was just joking.

"Heh? That Friesha?" he smirked while tilting his head. Perhaps he wasn't.

The rain was still as heavy as it was while we stayed there for quite a while. Felgard and I introduced ourselves as adventures who wanted to explore the world. Felgard even exaggerated about defeating a dragon like what he lied to me about before. To not look suspicious, I was given no choice but to go along.

As for the residents here, the nuns name was Nicole at the age of sixteen. The five children were Dave the oldest boy at the age of eight, Gloria the oldest girl at the age of six, Shamili the second oldest girl at the age of five, Mark the second oldest boy at the same age as Shamili, and Destroyer the youngest, a boy at the age of three. The youngest one's name was quite nonhuman yet I just disregarded it. All five of them were orphans who were all lost in this church and were adopted by Nicole one after the other.

"Ooh, so about Destroyer..." I asked out of curiosity as to how he ended up here.

"Well, we found him left crying all alone under a tree near a road towards the city," Nicole explained with a hint of gloominess in her eyes. "I couldn't imagine how they could've done such a horrible thing..."

"We don't know his name so I named him instead," Mark said proudly to himself.

"I should've given him the name," Shamili pouted. "I'm sure it would've been cuter..."

All the while Destroyer was just running from here to there.

After a few moments of chatting with them, the rain eventually simmered down. Nicole then stood up, "Now shall we prepare for lunch? Dave? Gloria?"

The two kids replied, "Okay!!"

"Ah, let us help too," I then held Felgard by the collar of his shirt.

"Ah, dear me. We should do it ourselves. You two are our guests after all," Nicole smiled and was about to leave when...

"Oh, please pardon our intrusion," just outside the church doors were three older men with evil smirks on their faces. "Or should I really apologize for entering my territory?"

I could tell just by looking at his stupid ugly face, he was bad news...