A Preparing World

The cold wind tousled Val's violet braid slightly as she walked down the forest path. It was evening now, and the only light to guide her path was that of the moon above her.

She would've liked to have done this earlier, but it had taken her a while to maneuver things carefully enough to not flood the entire cottage. But she had eventually triumphed, and here she was now, the Suppression-affected bath crystal in her hands.

The trek from the cottage to the edge of the woods was not a short one without windwalking, especially with her carrying a bulky container of her father's magical tools. Nevertheless, it was necessary in order to dispose of it properly, and she wasn't too far from the boundaries of the ward crystals to be in any real danger.

She glanced down at the bath crystal in her hands partially wrapped in paper charms. It had been a part of her everyday life since her earliest memories, yet now, it seemed so alien. The darkness within it roiled as if it was alive.

Val suppressed a shudder. She had never liked the idea of magic going wrong. There was just something inherently… off about it, like something that was once familiar and comforting was now threatening to harm her. It might not have directly been the case here, but if it were for something else like the fire crystal they used for the stovetop…

Her gaze hardened, and her grip tightened around the stone. It wasn't a situation she wanted to think about.

Eventually, she spotted the hardened mound of dirt that marked the disposal grounds. She had been here once when she was quite young and her father had to dispose of a light crystal that had become Suppression-affected.

After unpacking the crystal and carefully placing it upon the center of the mound, Val stepped back, wiping her forehead. She was sweating a little from the effort of the hike and the exertion of carrying everything. Windwalking truly was something she would never take for granted.

Now though, it was time for her to begin the actual disposal process. She reached into the box and pulled out three different metal rods. They weren't magical themselves, but they were capable of channeling mana and spells very effectively. In this case, they would be channeling all of the Suppression-laced mana of the crystal to disperse into the atmosphere. When diluted that much, it would be harmless enough to avoid spreading the Suppression further so long as it was done in a place without other suspectable items present.

Or at least, that's how her father had described it to her.

She set to work quickly, stabbing each of the metal rods into the soft, muddy ground at equidistant points around the infected crystal. When that was finished, she stepped back and took a deep breath. She would need to activate the crystal now.

A bittersweet smile crossed her face. It was just an item, but the weight behind its significance made her pause. She would never again use the crystal that had served her so well. Instead, it would be destroyed—its magic forcibly scattered into nothingness.

The thought soon faded though as she outstretched her hand to activate it. This was what needed to be done, regardless of sentiment.

The bath crystal begun to pulse like it usually did, as if remembering it's usual behavior. However, the color violently shifted as water of all temperatures were forcibly ejected into the air, creating a miniature, chaotic storm of freezing steam. Val winced and backed away further, not wanting to get drenched or otherwise hurt by the raging magic.

The mana of the crystal lashed out, striking at the three rods surrounding it. The moment it did, all color began to drain from it. It was working. The crystal's magic was dispersing, its mana bleeding into the surroundings and losing any and all potency it might have once held.

Then once everything had been sucked dry, the rods suddenly launched the corrupted mana into the sky, scattering it to the wind like fireflies before they dispersed into the dark. The crystal itself, meanwhile, had turned into a dull colorless lump, the magic that had once defined its existence now gone forever.

She frowned. It was done. She took a hammer from the tool kit and smashed the crystal into pieces, then picked up a small shovel to dig a hole and bury the remnants. Finally, she cleaned up the site and returned to the cottage, not wanting to linger any longer than she needed.

When Val got back, she noticed that there were no sounds of movement in the living area. Instead, she could vaguely hear some shuffling sounds from the bedroom.

She briefly checked in. It seemed that Cael had decided to call it an early night. He lay fast asleep on her bed, facing the door. His expression was peaceful, and he snored quietly. She watched him silently from afar. There was something about watching him as he slumbered that was just so… compelling.

Her mind wandered to the trip that they would take in the coming days. As much as she wanted to deny it, she couldn't help but feel excitement about the adventure. However, she felt that the true excitement didn't lie in the adventure itself, but rather who it was with.

Cael had been stirring feelings inside of her that she'd never experienced before, and it had only gotten more intense with each passing day. It was almost like he'd awakened something inside her that she didn't know existed.

It was a longing. A yearning. She couldn't really describe it beyond that, but she really, really wanted to connect with him in some way. It wasn't enough to just talk to him, or to simply spend time with him. She wanted something… more.

The problem is that she didn't know exactly what she wanted. Sure, she knew that she wanted to see his body in more detail, or that she wanted to lay next to him and feel his warmth by her side, but she also felt like she was missing something.

She thought if she had ever heard of a familiar phenomenon before, and the closest thing she could remember was the strange things her mother's favorite romance novels had described. She'd never really understood them when her mother had read her some choice passages to sleep, but she was starting to wonder.

Her gaze wandered over to the bookshelf in the living area. She knew that she had to do more research on the cavern they were going to be trekking toward as well as refreshing up on some magical theory, but maybe she had enough time to do some personal research as well…

After all, the night was still young, and she was a decently quick reader.

***

The faint glow of the light crystal illuminated the last of the text on the page as Val turned it. She had already been through four books, and she was honestly very intrigued.

There was so much she didn't know. So many terms, ideas, and feelings. It was as though she had stumbled into a whole new world of understanding, one that was both fascinating and overwhelming.

She vaguely remembered asking about some of these things occasionally to her parents, but they had always told her that there would be a time and a place to discuss such matters.

That time, apparently, was now.

She had just flipped to the last few pages of the book, and the couple in its pages were finally about to kiss. Her heart leapt in happiness for them; their story had been a rollercoaster of emotions, from their initial meeting to the final confession of their love.

And now, they were about to share the most intimate of moments. She could hardly wait to see what would happen next. So she quickly read on, her eyes devouring the page. To think that a friendship could have turned into something much more, and that something like the kisses her parents had given to her as a child could hold so much more meaning and intimacy than she had realized.

As the hero of the story leaned down to caress the heroine's lips, Val unconsciously mimicked the action. She traced her fingers over her lips and let out a sigh of contentment as she continued to read. She briefly wondered how it would feel if Cael ever kissed her. Would his lips be soft and warm? What kind of sensation would it be like, and would the tingly feeling spread from her lips to the rest of her body?

"…"

Something in her mind suddenly clicked.

In that moment, everything that had confused her about her own feelings, every word in the stories that didn't make sense, and every question that had lingered in her mind since meeting Cael had suddenly become clear.

She had never even thought to differentiate between familial, friendly, and romantic love before. She had never really had to; the only people in her life before Cael had been her parents, and then it had just been herself. But now?

But now…

Val's breath hitched in her throat, and her heart skipped a beat. The words of the story swam in front of her face as she stared down at the book in her hands.

She would need to do more research. She had to know more. She absolutely had to.

After closing the book, she scurried over toward the bookshelf once again. She had already searched through all the ones in her reach, so she pulled up the stool from the kitchen to get toward the top shelf. She could still only barely see the top of their spines even when on it, but she had just enough reach to feel around and pull some out.

Val's fingers fumbled around the shelf as she debated which side to start from. However, she felt the distinct coolness of something metallic beneath her fingertips along with the texture of paper.

She tilted her head in confusion and nudged it off the shelf and into her other hand. It was a key with a piece of folded paper tied to it.

 For when you're older.

 —Mom & Dad

Her heart thumped in her chest. It wasn't quite what she was looking for, but had she just found something secret from her parents? Why would they hide it that far up on the bookshelf, and why would it say specifically "for when you're older?"

Did it perhaps pertain to 'romance'?

She started to feel even giddier than before.

Val hopped down from the stool, holding the mysterious key in her hand. She tried thinking of what it could be for when she suddenly remembered that there was a locked drawer in her parents bedroom. She'd never paid it much attention since she'd rather not try force it and risk breaking anything, but maybe this was the key to it.

She hurried down the hall—careful not to wake Cael—and made her way into the bedroom. The moonlight from the windows casted just enough of its glow to where she could see the desk in question. She approached it, hesitated briefly to build herself up to open whatever secrets her parents had left to her, and inserted the key in the lock.

There was a satisfying click, and the drawer slid open.

Inside, there were various notes and letters. Many appeared to have some sort of research or documentation, while others seemed more personal. However, what caught her eye the most was a large leatherbound journal.

She could scarcely contain her excitement as she carefully pulled it out.

Her hands trembled slightly, and she had to stop herself from opening the journal immediately. Instead, she hugged it against her chest and closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she let herself feel its weight in her arms.

What could be in it? Was it another part of her parent's legacy? A secret project or study that she was now entrusted with?

She couldn't wait any longer—whatever secrets it held, she would know soon enough.