Aria slowly woke up from her slumber. Her senses were disoriented and took a moment to re-focus. First was her skin acknowledging the rising sun’s showering warmth that enveloped her still-exposed body. The air inhaled flowing through her nose was clear and fresh, with a pleasant scent she didn’t recognize. Aria refrained from doing anything, including thinking, and attempted to go back to sleep. Needless to say, she was feeling quite comfy. However, this brief moment of peace was anything but lasting. Her ears were finally beginning to comprehend the noise around her. The warm summer atmosphere was soon dampened by the deafening buzz of insects. What these insects were, Aria had no idea. But they were loud. Too loud.

What is this super loud noise?!

『 These sounds are made by the wild-life that populate the land around us. The loudest of these current noises we hear, the one that you mentioned, are most likely insects. 』

Insects? They are quite rude. Can’t they see that I’m stuck here and trying to sleep?

Aria opened her eyes, she was still in the same position as the previous day.

How long have I been asleep?

『 Only through the night. Your consciousness had returned when your body regained enough magic. Though, you currently only have 15% of your total magic reserves. 』

15%... is that enough to try and hijack my nervous system?

『 Unfortunately not. 』

Hmm.. speaking of my magic, how is the result of my creation magic?

『 It was successful. The object is by your right hand. 』

Aria attempted to examine the object but wasn’t able to look at it.

I can’t see it.

『 Since it is a physical object made by your magic, you should be able to interact with it. Have you tried using your Magic Sense? 』

Interact with it?

Aria focused and used Magic Sense to feel around her. Sure enough, a familiar object of immense magic reacted to her Magic Sense. It hummed in anticipation as if waiting for an order.

What… kind of object is it? It feels like it wants a... purpose. Hmm.. well the object contains a lot of magic correct? Because of how it was created? With my extremely dense magic? Hmm, I guess I ended up not really making it a specific item. In that case, would it be possible to use it to fix my condition?

『 Yes, it should theoretically be possible. 』

Then..

Aria narrowed her eyes in concentration as she reached out again with her magic. She felt a unique feeling she hadn’t felt before, as if she gained control over an extension of her body, but the results were clear. The orb floated off the ground, over Aria. While shining brightly, it descended until it touched her stomach. With a bright flash the spherical object warped and enveloped her body. No more than a second had passed before the lights faded. One would wonder if the light was a hallucination. This notion came across Aria, but she knew better. She felt different, and it was obvious what caused it. Aria was wearing clothes now-- a simple black and white dress and nothing else it seemed-- but...

What is.. this? I feel stronger and... is this what it feels like being able to move?

Her muscles began to twitch and she gained feeling through the rest of her body. it was an odd sensation, one similar to how it feels when you sleep on an arm and the blood seems to rush through, returning your sense of touch. All of this occurred like a wave flowing through Aria's body. Although movement was small at first, she still moved. After a moment of panic however, she realized the weird sensation did not really hurt much, so she disregarded it. Her eyes widened in delight.

I can finally move… it worked! It’s weird and I’ll have to get the hang of it. But this is a great outcome.

Aria sat up, her muscles taut after not being used for an extended amount of time. She felt sensitive to anything she touched now. These new sensations, she could easily grasp and understand every physical trait of whatever she touched. This was a result of the skill Sharpened Senses. Of course, that was not all, but the extent of the skill was yet to be discovered. She could now control her limbs successfully, but it felt awkward and imperfect. After all, she really has no experience with movement at all. She tried to stand but it was futile. Her balance was very poor and the control her magical dress allowed her was not exactly precise. Still, it was the best she had and she was satisfied for now, though, she would have to figure out a way to improve her original nervous system to control her body without the use of this crutch-- her magical clothes.

I can’t balance when standing up-right just yet… but I can still move by crawling. This means!

A small fire burned in Aria’s eyes as she began to crawl quickly towards the nuisance that irritated her all day. She came to the base of a tree and looked up at it. The source of irritation stuck to the side of the tree and remained still as if staring back at her. Aria beat at the tree (with little to no power) in an attempt to bother the insect in any way possible.

The sounds created by her pounding fists weren’t even thuds, it was so weak that they were simply light taps.

You horrible insect!! Come down here and face my anger now!!

She stood on her knees and reached upwards towards the insect… to no avail. She was far too small, the insect lay feets above her. Even if she were to stand on her feet, there would be no chance of her ever reaching the insect. As if to mock her, it began to buzz again which only irritated Aria even more. Angrily pouting, she stared daggers at the insect who continued to buzz.

Eeee-oo-eeee-oo-eeeee!~

Aria covered her ears and fell backward in defeat. She groaned out loud before gasping in surprise.

I… can make sounds too?

She had never realized that she herself, had a voice and could make sounds as well, despite talking constantly in her mind to… the voice in her head. She opened her mouth slightly and waited, waited and waited. Or rather, it wasn’t that she waited, but more so that she hesitated.

What if… I sound like that annoying insect?

Aria shuddered softly at the thought.

I’ll explore this discovery at a later time. For now, I unlocked movement so that means I can explore. But… it’d be inconvenient to move like I have been, being so close to the ground.

Aria got up again and leaned against the tree the insect resided on. She propped up one leg so that she was in a kneeling position and attempted to stand, but slipped and fell face forward.

Ouch.

Aria pushed herself up slowly before noticing a stinging sensation.

What’s… this?

She examined her left hand and discovered a small gash. Looking back at the ground, she discovered there was a large stick-- about as long as she was tall, and an inch or two thick --that cut her hand when she fell forward. It was a solemn stick save for a stray, sharp point sticking out which was probably what cut Aria. A leaf at one end of the stick swayed gently to a breeze. Aria turned her attention back to her wound and winced noticing her blood slowly dribbling down her hand. It momentarily hurt, but her skill, regeneration, kicked in healing it with a faint green glow. It closed up nicely as if there never was an injury, though the blood stains remained.

That stung.

Aria grabbed the stick with her unharmed hand and attempted to stand again. It was easier than before thanks to the stick.. or rather, the staff since it is big enough to be a staff for her.

Alright. I can use this to keep balance.

Taking a final look around the area, Aria noticed a stone figure that she hadn’t seen before. She made her way to it and it looked like a girl slightly older than her… in a guarding pose? She seemed like she was engaged in combat, but frozen in time. Unable to do much about it, Aria gathered a bit of magic to use creation magic. Now that she experienced it before, she had a vague understanding of how it worked. But this time the item wouldn’t really need a purpose, she just needed to create a big sheet of fabric. It had a slick surface causing any water to slide off. You could say it was water-proof. She draped it over the statue, not knowing why it mattered. It felt right to do it; now the statue would be sheltered from weather. For the most part at least. Satisfied, she finally began her journey to explore the forest.

--

Her journey was short-lived. An hour or two had passed since Aria had begun making her way through the forest, and it didn’t seem like she was getting anywhere. Everything seemed the same as far as she could see in every direction. Her slow and steady pace was inefficient for this, but she had no choice. It was all she could do to move for now. And though her new clothes kept her warm, she still felt a biting chill as she continued on. A misty fog had appeared before she knew it and Aria began to feel uneasy. Finally, she stopped and glanced up letting her pale skin absorb the warmth of the sunlight that wormed its way through the lush mix of nature. Now that she thought about it, it was weird that she hasn’t seen any creatures since she started looking for a way out. Perhaps it was just a coincidence.

The sound of insects has gone silent as well… I’m not getting anywhere near the way out of this forest am I? I’m hungry too.. Maybe I should try to find my way back to where I woke up?

Just as she sat down and leaned against a tree to rest, Aria heard voices. It sounded like a man and a woman. They were really close by, in fact, they were straight ahead of her. She could attempt to move away and gain some distance, but it would be futile. She's too slow in her current condition. She’d need more time to get more accustomed to this magically hi-jacked nervous system. Despite being initially happy at being able to move, Aria frowned at the difficulty she still faced in her current condition. Anyways, it would only be seconds before they spot her through the trees and fog.

It would be a strange sight, Aria mused.

Seeing Aria, a young girl in a black and white dress, resting at the base of a tree in the middle of a forest, holding on to a weak staff. Sure enough..

“H-hey wait! There’s a small girl here.. She’s slightly injured!”

Except I’m not injured… well I guess I did have a cut, but that already healed a while ago.

“What?! A child? Here.. this deep in The Forest of Lyca?”

“Don't be fooled. I sense a decent amount of magic… wait could it be? It’s her clothes?”

“What are you hesitating for? Come on, let’s help her quickly.”

The group of adventurers consisted of two people. A mage and a warrior. They approached her as Aria watched the conversation and surprise unfold.

"Hey there miss..," said the guy. He donned a long coat with a steel chestplate and a one-handed sword but no shield. "Can you understand me?"

He approached her like one would approach a stray animal on a street; slow and steadily, cautious for any reaction, his palms up facing her in a vulnerable fashion. For some reason, this irritated Aria as much as the screeching bug from earlier.

Don't approach me like I'm some weird creature.

Aria frowned at the warrior's approach. The mage followed behind the warrior, but not too closely so she didn't have space. Making up her mind, Aria gripped her staff and propped herself up before the warrior could get any closer. Her sudden movement made the warrior flinch in place and stop. He made eye contact with Aria for a couple seconds before Aria turned and ambled away.

"Wh... what the hell," muttered the warrior. He looked back at his companion and she shrugged looking just as confused. "Hey! Stop! We're trying to help you!"

"Darling, won't you let us help you?" asked the mage. "We can't just let you go after seeing you alone here like this.. Are you lost? Hurt? Hungry??"

Aria stopped at the mage’s last word, her stomach grumbling quietly. Swiftly, she turned around to face the group and patted her tummy.

“So you’re.. hungry,” said the mage. She sighed in relief now that they managed to stop Aria. “Well.. we don’t have food on us right now b- hey wait! Let me finish speaking!”

Aria stopped, mid-turn away from the group.

“We have food back at our camp. You can eat all you want if you come with us,” she continued.

‘God I sound like a kidnapper or something!’ thought the mage.

In fact, that’s exactly what Aria thought: danger. But they didn’t really seem too bad. And they had food… so she was convinced.

In the end, I’m bribed by food to follow strangers. I can only hope the food is worth it.