A Surprise Encounter

"Look look look, Mam Dad—what's that?" I pointed upwards to a sleek looking building to the left of us. My voice was largely drowned out by the noise of the market around us, but after twenty minutes of me asking 'What's that?' on repeat, I was sure they'd caught my gist by now.

"Again?" Silvia grumbled. "I really wish I had your energy Reno."

"You're not the only one Silvia." Glyffe said with a chuckle.

"Please Silvia, I just really have to know. It's the last time I promise!"

"Well—fine. Just one more time. You're talking about the window on that house right? The curtains?"

"Mhm! Those weird shimmery things."

"Those are Sunvines. They're long, yellow droopy vines. They respond to sunlight—opening wide when it's bright, closing when it's cold. When they're used as curtains they're kind of like natural alarm clocks."

"Woah - that's so cool!"

"Right? That's what I said too! Kion's capital didn't have anything like that." Glyffe added in agreement.

"Why don't we have any at home?"

"They're ugly." Silvia's reply was so sudden I jumped a little. Glyffe gave a wry smile. I guess that explains why we didn't have any at home. Personally though, I thought they had immense aesthetic potential but they definitely needed the right supporting designs to shine.

"Wait wait, what's that?"

This time I was pointing across from us toward a street performer. I wasn't pointing directly at him, but rather to the strange patch of purple grass beneath him. The grass was pulsing. Every time he stepped, it trembled, matching his rhythm, as if it was dancing with him. A playful duet between man and nature.

"Reno, didn't you say you wouldn't-"

"Well..."I interrupted impulsively, my voice naturally tapering off, realising I'd let my curiosity get the better of me. Again.

"Just how curious are you kid? Aren't you tired of asking the same question? Hahahaha."

"I-I just can't help it. Everything's so new and so strange" I threw my arms up. "The books at home didn't mention any of these."

"Well that's because they're focused on life in the big capitals and trade cities. Either that or they're fairy tales. A small region in the countryside like the Butter region isn't given much attention because there's too many regions and towns like it - all with different traditions cultures and ways of life." Silvia explained logically.

"If they tried to make books on all the unique species, foods and traditions in each town and region they'd never finish." Glyffe chirped in, completing what Silvia was trying to say.

"Everything is just so different in every place. No matter where you go, you'll always encounter something new you've never even heard or thought of. Whether it's sunvine curtains or something else."

"Exactly—so how can you blame me for asking all these questions?" Honestly, I could never get tired of asking questions. But on the other hand, I could get tired of holding them back

"Fine fine fine, you're right, I'll answer this one. I think it's best if me and Silvia take turns answering before she explodes." Glyffe said, his tone warm. Silvia nodded in response, sighing slightly. Clearly my barrage of questions had taken a small toll on her.

"That's Melodia grass. When it's stepped on - depending on the force - a high, low or in-between musical note is played."

"Ah—really? There's grass that plays music too?" It was weird to think famous songs could be played just by stomping on some random grass.

"Well of course, it's extremely common in the neighbouring Jam region."

"Woah, that's so cool! Does it grow like normal grass?"

"Pretty much, it still needs water and sunlight to grow like most plants do. Just the conditions it's grown in, like the humidity and temperature, change their musical range and colour. Purple Melodia grass is for high pitched notes while yellow Melodia grass is for low notes. Of course there's also red Melodia grass which covers the range in-between the higher and lower notes."

"Ehhh, that's so strange. Why does the environment change how the grass turns out? Can it change colour and type once fully grown? Are all the types from the same seed?"

"I can see why Silvia was complaining earlier - you really do ask a lot of questions Reno." Glyffe moaned jokingly.

"I told you so." Silvia smiled amusedly.

"I believe the environment changes the grass because the hotter it is the softer the grass becomes - and soft Melodia grass produces a high-pitched sound. Then when grown in colder regions it becomes more rigid and so produces a lower sound. Once fully grown it cannot change to a different type. And, yes, all types come from the same Melodia seed."

"Oh I see! Who would've thought they'd all come from the same seed and only change based on how they're grown. I'd love to see all the different types!"

"Since this region and the surrounding regions are quite hot, you won't find any red or yellow Melodia grass around here for hundreds of miles."

"Ah what a shame. Are they only used for performances?"

"It's most commonly used for doorbells in suburban areas."

"Ohh doorbells - that's genius."

"It's quite convenient and admittedly quite fun to kill time with when nobody is answering the door."

I continued watching the street performer from afar appraising his ability. For a moment all three of us stopped and stared, immersed in his musical performance. From his sound and the sheer concentration and focus he performed with, I could tell this guy was a pro.

"Is it difficult to play Melodia grass?" I couldn't help but ask.

"For sure. There are so many factors to the sound produced—the angle, how much of the surface the step covers, the amount of force, wind - all of these things and more have to be considered when street performing. If a Melodia grass performer can play multiple beautiful melodies, it can be enough to make a living," Silvia cut in, eager to share her thoughts.

"Actually wait, he looks kinda familiar." Silvia narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Right I think I recognise him too." Glyffe assumed a pensive stance, clearly trying to remember something.

"Ah what was his name again? It was Jo-something. Joppy cheeky legs."

"What?" I burst out laughing, "What sorta name is that? Hahahaha."

"Zonny of the dancing feet." Glyffe corrected Silvia with obvious second-hand embarrassment.

"Oh yeah that's right, that's what I meant." Silvia said embarrassedly, her voice fluctuating and her cheeks growing red. She quickly regained her composure, clearing her throat and continuing in her usual smooth voice. "Recently he's gained quite a bit of fame in the Butter region, everybody's talking about him. He's one of the few talented musicians who can earn enough to make a living from street performances alone."

"Woah he must be quite the genius then." To think there would be musicians in this fantasy world too - though I guess their instruments are slightly different. I hoped they were doing better here than on Earth. Getting a music degree was practically a fast track to unemployment back on Earth.

"Speaking of making a living - how many Teaves do you need to get by in Butter town?" I asked, genuinely curious. The local currency of the Butter and Jam region was Teaves.

The notes were made from an incredibly common shiny yellow plant called a Teaf. I didn't quite have a grasp on how much a Teave is roughly worth yet so I took this chance to ask, just to get a rough estimate to compare it to my other world.

"Well for one person to get by it's roughly 100,000 Teaves every month. If they wanted to live comfortably it'd be close to 150,000 Teaves."

So since the cost of living for an adult male back on Earth was roughly two thousand pounds per month, then fifty Teaves is about one Great British Pound. Interesting.

"Normally even full time it'd be hard for a street performer to amass 100,000 Teaves but sometimes they can accumulate large crowds. That can mean earning up to 25,000 Teaves at once! Someone like Zonny for example can definitely make that much on a good day." Silvia said as a matter of factly.

"And since they can perform a crucial role in plays and theatres - their skillset is more highly valued in urban areas like the Karavik empire's main cities or our Kion empire's capitals." Glyffe said, filling in the gaps.

"Huh - I never knew our continent was so big on entertainment. Do people really visit these theatres and performances though?"

"Actually, yes." Glyffe confirmed. He subtly glanced at Silvia before continuing. "That's where we went on our first date - the Cloud Theatre in Kion's business capital."

"Ah." I squealed in surprise. Interesting, but not an uncommon choice for a first date. "How was it? How did the date go?"

""...""

Silvia's one liner broke the silence.

"Terrible."

Oh.

"Why? What did you two watch?"

"The Heroic Tales of The Paladin Hero."

"""..."""

Glyffe smiled sheepishly amidst the silence.

"Silly Glyffe, Silvia doesn't like that one. You should have taken her to see Tale of The Sky Empress instead."

""Agreed."" Silvia and Glyffe repeated in unison, their nods synchronised. Clearly that date wasn't their finest moment.

"Ah we were so young back then, who would've thought things would end up this way. Especially after that day." Glyffe said sentimentally his voice thick with nostalgia.

"After that date I never wanted to see you again." Silvia crossed her arms, elevating her bust.

"Ah, I know. You refused to see me for about a month." Glyffe scratched his head innocently.

"Three weeks." Silvia corrected joyfully, her smile as radiant as the sun. Glyffe could only smile helplessly back.

"Since then we've both changed - but I'm glad I stuck with you, Glyffe." Silvia responded, her tone now genuine and sentimental.

"Of course, I feel the same." Glyffe responded in kind, his tone warm.

"It was Relentia who convinced me to keep meeting with you and that we were a 'good match'." Silvia added - revealing the reason why she stuck with Glyffe even after that horrible first date.

"No way - Zecko told me the same thing! We ought to thank them later." Glyffe laughed, his eyes wide at the coincidence. "We wouldn't have made it this far if it wasn't for them."

"Definitely. Make sure you leave a good first impression on Zecko and Relentia at Bridges' Clothing Store later, they're the closest thing you have to an aunt and an uncle. Okay Reno?" Silvia's voice trailed off slightly as she looked down towards me like she usually does when she calls my name.

"Right. Treat them just like real family, Reno." Glyffe's voice began trailing off too - clearly coming to the same realisation as Silvia.

""Reno?""

Silvia and Glyffe looked up - only to see their own expressions reflected back at them perfectly. A look of confusion and some guilt.

Why?

Because I was not there.

About three minutes ago, once they began talking about their past, I zoned out, focusing only on the new sights of Butter Town. As soon as they started reminiscing about their childhoods and how they grew up, I knew I'd be stuck as a third wheel. It was always like that when they reminisced.

So instead, I used the time to commit a few new discoveries to memory. The Melodia grass that played notes when stepped on. The sunvine curtains that shifted in response to light. But those were just a few of the ones I'd encountered today.

There was way more like the Lumin lanterns that absorb daylight during the day and light up at night - effectively working as streetlights. Or the Hydrun leaves that naturally repel small amounts of water - perfect for umbrellas or waterproof materials.

There's also Kent ore - a material unique to the Butter region. It's a cream coloured metal ore which is extremely common in mines in the outer Butter region. While Kent ore is useful by itself, it's real value shows when it is used to make an alloy with Aerostone ore, which is commonly found in the Jam region.

Aerokent is an alloy which can resist low levels of magic e.g a weak fireball or water bomb spell. It's perfect for testing spell efficacy, damage, potency and for self protection when training with someone else. The Kent ore provides the magic resistance while the Aerostone provides a lighter weight and reinforces its physical resistance - a perfect combination.

How could I forget ponte vines, which could purify dirty water and make it potable. Just place the ponte vine in the cup for five or so minutes like a teabag. Then remove it once five minutes had passed and the water would be perfectly safe to drink.

It's essential to bring a few on any expedition of sorts when there wasn't going to be clean water directly accessible from a tap or a well nearby.

As if that wasn't enough, there's also the Mereon fruit, which changes color and taste based on how it's cooked! Boiling could make it sweet and pink, roasting could transform it into a salty yellow, and frying could turn it into a crunchy, savory brown.

Though my favourite of these had to be 'Feeling Lilies'. They're pretty flowers which change colour based on the emotionsin the voices of the people nearby. Though that seemed quite far fetched to me and it seemed much more likely it was changing colour based on the frequency or pitch of people's voice, rather than their 'emotions', it was still my favourite.

How it would turn a violent red from a loud shout or how it'd switch to a serene blue from a quiet whisper. It was definitely one of the funner one's to mess around with. And all of those were just the tip of the iceberg, things I'd come across during my very first stroll through Butter Town. I was sure there were even more weird and wacky things waiting to be discovered. There had to be.

I didn't zone out very often, but it definitely happened from time to time. When suddenly thrust into a fantasy world I needed those little moments of reflection to organise my thoughts. To genuinely think about what life is like for these realpeople. They aren't just NPCs. They work, study, play, build, eat, run, shout, bleed, cry, laugh and smile just the way everyone did back on Earth.

They're real life living people with their own way of life—a way I could only hope to understand by truly immersing myself. As a stranger to this world, it was important for me to respect their cultures and practices. With this mindset, I could blend in, learn from them, and eventually incorporate their ways of life into my own. The more I could learn, the better.

Around this time, I started thinking about how wonderful it would be to be an adventurer. To be able to explore everything the world had to offer. I couldn't help but wonder how many unique plants, animals, architectures, traditions, beliefs, cultures, and lifestyles the people of this world had.

Maybe there were lands where disputes were settled by sword duels, or cultures that communicated through trees, listening to the ancient language of the forest. Perhaps some tribes, survived by hunting and gathering, while others sought to master magic, a society wherein only the most talented were valued.

Glyffe once said the known mapped areas of the world made up less than one percent of the actual size. That's three continents and a half! Three! And a half! The dwarven continent, the elven continent, the human continent and the great forest separating them all.

I wanted to see it all. Not just our isolated three continents - but the world beyond. The entire world beyond.

I wasn't much of an inventor on Earth but I was open to changing that. With all these new discoveries I couldn't help but start theory crafting about the sort of weird contraptions I could make and experiment with.

And it was in the midst of this theory crafting when I got a sharp wake up call.

"Boy, are you lost?" A warm yet soft and smooth voice from above echoed in my ears - her voice carrying a strange charm.

She was tall with short blonde hair and wore an elegant purple cloak and a pointy hat. She had on black tights and a lilac dress-like attire which accentuated her voluptuous figure.

We were alone, both Glyffe and Silvia were gone with no more crowd in sight. It was almost as if she'd warped us to another dimension.

A witch.

She hunched over, trying to reach my eye level as she talked. Her hands wrapped around her knees as she bent down to face me.

Her eyes - a daunting red inferno - gazed into the depths of my soul.

She was definitely a witch.

"Uh...I—" my words caught in my throat, stunned by the sudden shift from being with Glyffe and Silvia to suddenly finding myself in the crosshairs of a witch.

"Oh boy. Just relax, such an overreaction! It's not like I'm a witch or anything hahaha."

That confirmed it. She was definitely a witch. Only a witch would say that.

I looked around - considering my options. How come the crowd from before disappeared? Where did everyone go? The more I thought about it the more it freaked me out. And why are her eyes -the witch's eyes - red?

"I should get going now... my mum told me not to talk to strangers." Actually - I hadn't been told not to talk to strangers in this world yet, but I'm sure Silvia wouldn't blame me for lying.

"What was that mam?" I put on a confused face like I was trying to hear something far off in the distance. "Sorry I think my mam is calling me. Bye witch!" I turned to a random direction and tried to walk away.

"Pfft! Kid you're funny! You're quite the actor as well - have you heard of the Cloud Theatre in the Kion empire or the Karavik's Great Theatre? I think you should audition, you'd certainly be a popular child actor. But unfortunately, they're both a little far from here." She giggled amusedly at my theatrics - instantly seeing through my act. Well of course she did - it was eerily silent and unnaturally empty in the middle of the street. Silvia wasn't calling for me - no one was.

"No my mum really is calling me right now..." I doubled down, continuing to walk away.

"Oh really boy, then how come I can't hear her?" For some strange reason I could still hear her very clearly even after walking a good distance away.

"Because only her son can hear her from far away. It's a family thing." I tripled down while picking up the pace I was walking away at. Is she following me?

"Oh is it?" Her eyebrows twitched in annoyance, her warm smile slightly fading. "Your family must be quite special then." I looked back. She was in the same place. No, that wasn't it. I was in the same place.

Even though I felt like I was walking away I wasn't moving. Every time I looked back she was in the same place, if not closer. Like I was being stopped by something. Like I couldn't leave without her permission.

Walking away wasn't working. Clearly there's more than meets the eye to this witch. Escaping her wasn't going to be that easy. I turned back to face her, deciding that was probably my best course of action. She looked like she was about to say something every time I turned back so I might as well hear her out. I had time, clearly I wasn't going anywhere.

"You can't run from me. I control everything in this area." Well, I thought as much.

"Oh and by the way, that's the wrong direction anyways. Your parents are behind us."

"..."

"And I'm a mage - not a witch. You got that boy? A mage."

"Ohhh...ha ha..." I made eye contact again - her stare as intense as the sun. For some reason her words held some sort of warmth to them. I had no reason to - but I believed her. "Thank you mage lady, I'll be on my way now..." This time I walked towards her. Slowly.

Surprisingly, this time I could see myself moving - like I was actually getting closer to her. Perhaps she would let me go now.

My heartbeat increased with each step until I was just in front of her. Then - avoiding eye contact - I walked past her. Calm and collected - I walked in the direction she said my parents were. Phew, I made it out.

"Return." I froze.

Son of a—

"Return now."

The warmth from earlier had gone leaving only a thick layer of frost in her voice. I tried to keep walking but my legs refused - rooting me on the spot. I was neither able to obey or disobey her.

"You're a stubborn one aren't you," She sighed "Let me help you."

Before my very eyes, a torrent of water sprung up from the ground, surging towards me at a terrifying speed. Caught off guard, I reacted too late. I tried to jump away but the wave had completely swallowed my entire field of view.

Fireball!

My body moved on its own. My right hand shot up, heat flaring from my palm as I cast the spell, desperate to delay the inevitable. A lone ember streaked toward the oncoming deluge, glowing briefly like a will-o'-wisp. It vanished without a trace. Just me and the flood.

Death.

A sudden gust of wind hurled me into the air, my field of view spiralling out of control. Blue and white flashed in alternating patterns as my stomach churned and my body locked into fight-or-flight mode.

Before I could react I was flying - a meter or so above the world of blue and several meters above the ground.

Ahhhhh!

Abruptly, an earthen plate formed atop the wave, catching me bottom-first and cushioning the impact. It became my seat as the water carried me straight back towards the eye of the storm.

The wave began to fade, shrinking little by little until, with one final curve, it delivered me on an earthen platter to the mage.

Holy crap. I almost died just now.

"Hahahaha! I knew it! I knew it! I know talent when I see it - and you have a real talent for magic. You absolutely shouldn't be able to use magic at your age. Especially not in this run-down town. To be able to cast a fireball spell under that kind of pressure and when caught off guard - boy you're even better than I thought. You're going to be an amazing mage when you're older!" She gleamed with joy like she'd found a rare gemstone.

She's crazy. Who 'helps' a five year old like that? I almost died! And she's laughing? Okay okay calm down Reno, deep breaths, deep breaths.

I did have to admit she's extremely powerful. To do that all that without any chants and whilst not even looking. My fireball didn't affect the wave even slightly. I couldn't hope to win against her at all. No escape. She's bad news.

I think she said something about this town being run down—just who is she? If Butter Town is run down then just how illustrious must the main cities and capitals look.

"Boy what other magic do you know?" She questioned inquisitively.

You dare question me after that attempted murder!?

"I only know two spells, fireball and waterbomb spell." I took a few more deep breaths before responding but I think she was so carried away in her excitement she didn't realise my situation.

"How old are you?"

"Five." She asks even more questions than I do.

"How long have you been learning magic?"

"Two days." More like one and a half.

"TWO DAYS?"

"Uh yeah..." Something like that.

"T-two days is good my new apprentice. That fireball spell was impressive considering you've only practiced for that long." She cleared her throat, suddenly taking a much more dignified appearance.

"Apprentice!? Are you kidding me? Aren't you going to say anything about how you nearly gave me a heart attack earlier? Something like, I don't know, sorry?"

Is what I wanted to say but I just nodded along submissively. After all, I definitely wasn't escaping this witch. Not with magic that powerful. So, I figured I might as well try and get on her good side.

"Have you been evaluated yet?" She thought for a moment before asking excitedly - her face glowing with expectation and eerily resembling Silvia's earlier today. Here we go again.

"Oh the evaluation huh..." This is bringing back bitter memories.

"It's okay if you haven't I can do it right now—"

"You mean like my soul strength, affinities and mana pool grade?"

"Yup, there's a little more to it but for now that should be fine. So, have you done it?"

I paused, looking around uncomfortably.