“Ok, for today’s lesson we'll talk about our neighbors! Ok. So. Here's the thing. We are called Noxians, remember? We're a little different from other races. We live longer, for one. We also are the only ones who have Druids. I'm not sure how it works, but I'm told that they are Nature Spirits, able to connect to animals and plants. Don't ask for details. I'm not good with this stuff.” I smile silly.

“Next up are the Balli. We kinda resemble them, but they are vicious warriors. They live here.” I mark a circle next to ours in the ground. “They say their land is covered in sand and there aren’t any forests...” I pick some of the dirt up. “It's not like the earth here... Wish I could see it one day...” I dust my hands off.

“Ok. Next are the Primerians. Very clever, very fragile. Like, they don't fight with anyone! But, according to the legends, they were the ones that taught our people everything we know... So, I guess they aren't that bad? Their land is similar to ours? But more rocky? I'm told... They live in these stone houses?” I shrug my shoulder. “All I know is from the Gramps, so I can't say for sure. They live here.” I circle above Noxanda's bubble.

“Next are the Cornutese. They look exactly like Primerians, but have horns.” I draw two curved lines in the mud and connect them with a third curve. “They say the horns are their punishment for using Dark Magic. I really wanna know what kind of magic did they use. Aand they live here.” I draw the last circle to the left of Noxanda. “Getting all that?” I look at Era. I can't tell if she's even listening... I sigh. I wish the Stones would be ready sooner... Three years is such a long time...

“Well. I'll be sure to test you on this later! Moving on! Next we have an island somewhere here?” I draw a rigged bubble. “It's called Crepitus. Gramps said that the island was a failed experiment of Primerians. That long ago, that land was part of Primerias, but then it exploded and drifted off into the sea?” I smudge half the circle of my mud-map and add a spiky curve. “Do I believe it?” I shrug my shoulders. “Do I think it could be possible?” I shrug again. “I mean, they are crazy smart so... Oh! Now this is something that's funny too.”

I scramble a bunch of smaller bubbles all over the empty space around Crepitus. “Now, if we follow the same idea for Crepitus than all of these;” I wiggle the stick above the newly added circles; “are said to be all failed Primerian experiments from ages ago too. Like the Nightmare Island is supposed to be where monsters live? What kind - I have no clue. It's just what Gramps said... Oh! Maybe that's where you come from?” A tail whip smacks me. I giggle. “Sorry, I didn't mean to say you are a monster. Just thinking maybe there's more Sabers there?” I pet her.

“Ok. Next we have? Thousand Vine Jungle. Apparently, it's like a thick forest, but the trees and animals are different. Oh! We might find Sabers there too! I mean tigers live there soo... Ok, never mind that now, what else? Oh! There's this island that is called the Scarlet Sapphire Woods. It has red ground and blue trees. I don't know what the crazy Primerians were trying to achieve there, but I'd love to see how it looks...” I laugh a little at myself. Era looks at me.

“Emerald. Scarlet. Sapphire. Maybe it's just the jeweler in me talking.” I look back down on my map. “There's also Snake Port. Land of Exile. Such a sad name, huh?” Exile... I wonder if that's what Era feels like? Being all alone here? I shake those thoughts away.

“We also have... Um... Magma Pits, that's apparently where something hotter than fire, like thick red liquid that burns everything? Don't give me that look, I have no clue what magma or lava is... Oh! Speaking of which! They say that the Balli people used to live in the depths of earth, surrounded by lava? That's why their land is covered in sand? And why their skin color is all shades of red? I said not to give me that look I only know what I was told!” I blush lightly as Emerald persists to stare at me, mocking me. I feel it.

“Anyways, there's also an island called Sand Twister, cause its sand and wind all year round... Oh! Opposite to sand is something known as Ice Clouds! The forever frozen island! Sounds comfy, you know? Like the fluffy snow!” I look at Era again. She has her eyes closed. “With the coat you have on, it would be a breeze!” She opens one eye and waves her tail at me. I giggle.

“What else? Stone Peaks sound kind boring... There are a bunch of others too, but I don't know them all... Oh! The Garden of the Green! Gramps said that it's an island where Mana Fruits grow. Always and only! I've never seen one... We barely manage to get regular fruit... I wonder if Mana Fruits taste better? Gramps said that there are places around that grow them especially, but... Mana...” I sigh... I feel a wet nudge.

“I have no Mana... Mom has some. She knows all kinds of Chants and Spells. She always makes me feel better when I'm sick or hurt... But Dad doesn't have any Mana. See. Mana is something that you use to make Magic. Magic is? How do I explain this? It like makes things move. It spits fire, ice, it makes the wind move! It can make anything!" I gesture with my hands all over the place. "But. Both Parents need to have Mana for their kids to have it too... If only one of them has it then, it's a fifty-fifty chance... I got the less lucky fifty... Oh! In these situations, Mana can take up to five years to manifest... So, I was very hopeful till my eleventh birthday, cause it usually shows itself from the age of five... Something about the body being too fragile to handle it till then? I'm not good at following the confusing stuff... Oh! Wait. Do you know what a birthday is?” I stop and look at Era again. No reaction.

“A birthday is when you celebrate the day you were born on. You know? Probably not...” I think about it. “Um... Ok. How about this. Why don't we make your birthday the day we met? The 29th of the 6th month. A month before the Festival of Life!” I grin at Era. It clicks to me.

“You probably don't know what that is either, huh? ARGH THIS IS ALL SO CONFUSING ME TOO!!!” I throw a quick fit and calm down... “Ugh. Ok. Well, no worries. I can tell you about that later. So, back to birthdays. Mine is on the 19th day of the 9th month. It's actually coming... Never mind! Anyways, Mom's is on the 21st day of the 11th month and Dad's is the easiest to remember! The 4th day of the 4th month! Oh. Right. Days and months. Ok.” I pull my sleeves up again.

“So.” I draw in the mud again. “1 year has 12 months. 1 month has 30days. You count them from 1 to 30." I scratch the ground up again, naming the numbers. "Oh. Can't forget that there are 4 weeks in 1 month. 7 days in a week. Each week starts with the same name. Ah. Right.” I move to the side a little and draw again.

“The days of the week are called by a letter and a number from the 1st-L to the 7th-L. Gramps said that over the years the names of the week have been changed a lot. Apparently at first, they used to be called by the phases of the Moon. Like the New-1st-day, the Young-2nd-day, the Grinning or the Crescent-3rd -day, the Quarter-4th -day, kinda fitting since it's the 4th day of the week, then there's the Full-5th-day, the Bitten-6th and the Swallowed-7th. Well, that's how it used to be some time loooong ago. Ya know, if you want my honest opinion, I think that Primerians are too busy fidgeting with their experiments and just forget the things they have already made... Probably because they don't live as along...” I stretch.

“Ok so, since then the days of the week have been changed to Ls. Lunar is another word for Moon. So, they made it "simplier" by making it 1st-L, 2nd-L, 3rd-L, 4th-L, 5th-L and well, you get the picture... Maybe the forever busy Primerians think it's easier this way, but I prefer the old names. That's why sometimes people in villages like ours still use the old names. Mom and Dad use both ‘cause they do business in Astri. That's our main city. Remember?” I look at Era again. “You asleep?” I nudge her and she licks my face so fast that I almost fall flat on my back. I laugh loud.

“Guess no.” I wipe the drool off myself and into her fur. She growls at me. I laugh again. “Serves you right. Ok. What else? Days? Time? Hmm. Ok. Here.” I draw the face of the clock.

“Since we’re talking about days, we need to cover hours too. A day starts and ends at 12. See these.” I draw the clock hands. “These show time. Short is for the hours. Long is for the minutes. A day has... What was it again? 20? No! 24hrs, and 1 hour has.... 60? Yeah, 60 minutes. Don't ask me who or why or how anyone came up with all of this. I just know this is how it works. So here.” I draw another clock. “We usually get up at this hour;” I scribble another clock; “and go to bed at this hour. Are you getting any of this?” I elbow Era a little. Her body rumbles. “I will test you on this. I swear!” I warn her. She exhales. I chuckle. “Oh. It's getting late... I probably should get going now. They let me off for the rest of the day, so I'd rather not push my luck.” I get up and dust myself off. I wipe our lessons away with my foot.

“See ya, girl. Sweet dreams.” I hug her. She blinks at me and returns back inside her tree. I come back to the house.

“You're late tonight. Dinner's on the table.” Mom says.

“Thanks! I was teaching Era about time!” I thank for the food and dig in. Mmm... Soo good, the roasted vegetables...

“Oh? Funny. Did you lose track of time before or after your lesson?” Dad pokes fun of me. I glare at him with a bite in my mouth. He laughs it off.

“Can't help it!” I call out. “I start explaining one thing and then realize I have to explain other parts just to explain it all! I get lost myself!” Roaring laughter reaches me from inside the workshop.

“It's so like you.” Mom says stepping into the kitchen. “You've always had such an inquisitive mind.”

“Are you saying that usually Noxians are dumb?” I take another bite of the bird.

“Not at all. I mean, here;” she shows me one of my creations; “I still can't figure this one out. Every time I look at it, I see something different.” I take the strange jewelry piece from her. I twirl it around a little.

“Yeah, I totally forgot where I was going with this.”

“But that's what makes it fun!” She takes it back.

“Thanks Ma.” I smile and clear my dishes. I make a quick stop by the workshop.

“What ya got for me?” I ask Dad. He points to a tray. I look it over.

“These are mine?”

“Yeah.”

“What do you want me to do with them?”

“Dismantle. Whatever you're not proud off.” Hooo. Well, that'll be easy. I'm not too fond of either one. Plus, I can do better now.