Security

It was a while before Charlie was able to calm down, but eventually, she was able to catch her breath. Annie gently set her down on the grass and took a seat beside her, looking at the castle once more. She still had to go there, and had no idea how to convince Charlie to let her go.

"So, Charlie... Could you tell me more about the castle?"

Charlie shook her head.
"N-No, not here, at least."

"Not here? Well, do you have any place in mind?" Annie asked.

Charlie nodded. "U-Uhm... Yes. Yes, it's near here... U-Uhm, follow me."

Charlie slowly got to her feet and started to walk, so Annie followed. She wasn't sure what to expect. After a few minutes of walking, though, a grove of trees came into view. Annie hadn't noticed it, but the further they got from the dead zone, the more vibrant things were. By the time they made it to the tree grove, it felt like another world.

Butterflies roamed the area, and small plants sprouted up all around the grove. The trees were a welcome sight, breaking the monotony of the flat horizons without the foreboding sight of a dark castle. The sounds of birds chirping filled the air, though their calls were nothing like what Annie was used to. There were deep warbles that droned for seconds at a time, frog-like croaks that echoed between the leaves, and even some sounds that were more fitting for a sci-fi weapon than a bird.

Annie didn't catch many glimpses of the wildlife before seeing a small hut in the grove. It looked like it had once had leaves to conceal its presence, but they had since been blown away. This was where Charlie was leading her.

Once inside, Charlie let out a loud sigh. She sat down on a tree stump, the relief on her face making it clear that her legs needed the break. Annie smiled and took a seat for herself on a large rock. She hadn't noticed it, but her own legs had gotten quite tired.

"This is my hideout," Charlie said without prompting. "I-It's... A place I used to stay a lot. Before I worked under the Demon King. It's... It's been a while, but I knew it would be here."

Annie nodded, smiling. "It's a wonderful place. It reminds me of a place I once made..."
Annie reminisced for a moment in a memory. She had once built a hut much like this, not too far from her childhood home. It was where she went when she was fed up with her parents. A safe place to stay away from home.

But now wasn't the time to get caught up in the memories. As much as she wanted to tell Charlie all about it, there was a more pressing matter.
"But that's a story for another time. For now... Is it safe to speak of the castle here?"

"R-Right. Well... Th-The castle... It's not just a castle. It's the Demon King's castle."
She looked up at Annie, not seeing the reaction she expected. She explained a bit further. "He rules over the entire world from there. H-He can cast spells on entirely different countries from his throne room, a-and... The things he does to the people who... Who even pose the slightest threat, it-"

Charlie stopped when she felt Annie's hand on her shoulder. She looked and saw Annie's concerned expression, then realized she was shaking. She really was still that scared of him. She took a few deep breaths, taking comfort in Annie's presence. Then, she got back on track.

"The head maid... Her name is Lilin. She will almost certainly be the one overseeing your work. She is... Merciless. If you do anything wrong, she will punish you heavily. If you do nothing wrong, she will make sure there is a problem you cannot solve. If you fail too many times, she will... She will take you to see the Demon King. And..."

"Is that how you ended up like that, dear?"

Charlie nodded grimly. "Yes. A-And... That is why I don't want you to go."

Annie nodded as well. She tried to steer the conversation away from the Demon King that Charlie feared so much. "I understand. Well, tell me about the wasteland. Why is it so grey?"

Charlie perked up. "A-Ah, those are the Deathlands. You see... Mana can come from two places. E-Either your Core, or the sky. The Demon King... He hoards the mana in the air for himself. In a massive circle around the castle, there is absolutely no mana in the sky. Ever. But... just outside of the Deathlands, there are large areas where mana is allowed to flow. That is why we still have trees, and grass, and animals. Anywhere that has enough mana for living creatures to survive is known as a Lifespot, and most of them exist in a ring known as the Lifebelt. Beyond the Lifebelt... Only more Deathlands lie beyond the Lifebelt. Life only exists where the King allows it to, a-and...."

Annie shook her head, squeezing Charlie's shoulder. "Ah, I get the picture, dear. Thank you for explaining it so well. Now, I'm not so familiar with magic and mana... Could you explain it a bit more?"

Charlie nodded. She had already assumed Annie didn't know much about the world, so hearing this question was hardly a surprise to her.
"Magic is something that everybody is capable of using. To use magic, you must have a source of Mana. You can extract mana from your Core, just as you did when you healed me, or you can gather Mana from the air and sky. Then, you have to... Well, using Mana to cast a spell is quite complicated. I-I... I can teach you, but it would take a while."

Annie nodded thoughtfully, thinking to herself. She knew that she had to get to the castle to meet Lilin, but passing up on learning magic to go straight to the castle would leave her up the creek without a paddle. Maybe, just maybe, her stay with Charlie shouldn't end just yet.

"Well, dear, that doesn't sound so bad. When could you start teaching me?"

Charlie immediately sat upright. "Wait... You mean, you'll stay with me long enough to learn magic?"

Annie smiled, nodding. "Of course, dear. Wouldn't it be reckless for me to charge into the castle without knowing any magic?"

Charlie's expression finally brightened up, a smile breaking out onto her face. "R-Right! Yeah, of course! Uhm, well... Maybe I could start today? I'm not sure, uh, how much do you already know? Do you have any special gifts? Or, what about your Core type? We should figure that out first!"

Annie couldn't hold in a hearty laugh. Seeing Charlie smile was wonderful. It was a far cry from how they had met only an hour ago, and it was simply delightful.

"Well, dear, don't rush yourself," Annie said as she stood up. "I still think it would be wisest to let your legs heal. I will go gather some things to make you a bed so you can rest, dear."

Charlie nodded and started to stand as well, but Annie placed a hand on her shoulder.
"No, dear," she said firmly, "your legs need rest. I'll be back in just a moment."

As Annie was stepping out of the shelter, she briefly turned back. "Oh, but dear, would you mind if I asked to borrow that apron of yours?"

Charlie raised an eyebrow, but started to untie the apron from her waist.
"O-Of course," she said as she handed it over, "but what are you going to use it for?"

Annie smiled as she took it. "I need something to hold a bundle of sticks, of course!"

Annie stepped out of the shelter, glancing behind her just in case Charlie was still trying to get up. Seeing her sat peacefully down, she turned and started looking around. She'd need to find logs for a base, sturdy branches to make a platform, and something to tie it all together. She was lucky she read her brother's old wilderness survival guides back in the day. It wouldn't be perfect, since she knew nothing about the trees and plants here, but it'd have to do. 

Maybe, she mused, this forest has pillow rocks! Anything was possible in this world, after all. For now, though, she'd start by picking up branches and testing if they'd snap easily. She'd need something strong enough to hold Charlie's weight. She picked up a large branch and started to bend it, laughing to herself at how much harder this would be back in her old body. The branch didn't flex overly much, and it didn't sound as if it was threatening to break. It was probably good.

As Annie started to gather more of these sticks, she felt something tugging at her. She looked behind her, expecting to see Charlie. Instead, she saw a sigil on the ground. Then, she felt something pulling at her Core.

No, wait, not now! Not while Charlie was waiting for her! The sticks Annie was holding clattered to the ground as she tried to figure out something to say, but it was too much. She couldn't tell Charlie she was being summoned away, that would make Charlie panic and look for her. She couldn't just call for Charlie, that would terrify her! But she couldn't say nothing, or else Charlie would-

Hearing the sound of sticks clattering to the ground, Charlie took the time to stand up slowly, mindful of her legs' poor condition. She knew Annie wouldn't be happy if she rushed out. She slowly stepped outside of the small shelter, looking in the direction of the sound.

"Is everything alright, Miss Smith?"

No response.

"Miss Smith?"

An uneasy silence. Charlie's heart began to pound.

"Miss Smith, where are you?"

She left the shelter and started to walk, then jog. Pins pricked her legs with each step, but she didn't care. She didn't care if they hurt, she didn't care if Annie would be mad.

"Miss Smith! Annie?!"

Charlie tripped over something, crying out in pain as she barely caught herself on her hands. She looked at what she tripped over.

It was a bundle of sticks and a torn apron, all dropped in one place at the end of a set of footprints. Annie was nowhere to be seen.