Beginning of the Dream

Three Weeks Later

Hiraeth leaned on the railing, listening to the thundering of the waterfall. Despite the soothing sound, his nerves remained frayed and frustrated. While he'd successfully sent a message to Aetheron that they were powerless against the elves, even in the land of adventurers, he’d felt dissatisfied ever since the ambush attack. Despite being praised for his success, the elf could only count the assault as personal failure.

‘I let one get away...’ He recalled the young girl who, despite her fear, remained resolute until the end. ‘Even when faced with my power, even when all hope was stollen, a few tears and some pitiful begging was all I got?’ Annoyed, the elf began chewing on his nail. ‘Stupid, disgusting human! How dare she act like I was nothing?’ He relished in breaking the minds and spirits of humans and sensing the desperation and despair in their faces. The sheer power and might of the elves were enough to make them start trembling and losing their minds with fear, but that little girl... he’d never seen such a pitiful reaction before. “Does that brat think I’m a joke?” He chomped down on his nail so hard that it snapped as he gave off an demonic smile.

“I’ll kill that kid if it’s the last thing I do! By the time I’m through with her, she’ll wish that I would have just killed her back then.”

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Mahannana and her mother gagged and sneezed on dust as the front door creaked open. “Good god, why didn’t you warn us it was this bad?” Selena fanned the air with her tail. “Ugh, we didn’t know!” Bisky’s eyes watered as she clapped her hands over her mouth and nose. “Does it look like we ever came upstairs? The basement was the best place since, you know, we were trespassing!”

Mahannana looked around the house. “Well, this is a nightmare, but it’s about what I was expecting.” She hobbled forward on her boot. “Careful, Ma-Chan! We don’t know if the floor is sturdy!” Selena warned."You don't need to mess your ankle up some more when you're about to be done with treatment!" The entire front room was covered in dust, cobwebs, and piles of ancient furniture and boxes. “To be fair, that factory only used this back area for storage.” Pip spoke up. “It could be way worse, if you think about it.” “Everything's a mess, but the house itself seems structurally sound.” Selena noted as they fanned out. “Oh noooo, don’t tell me there’s even more shit upstairs!” Bisky whined as her eyes fell on the stairs leading up to the second floor. “We have to clean all this, and the basement and the courtyard? Just kill me now!” Bisky flopped on the floor dramatically. Selena trotted up and smacked her in the head with her paw. “Ouch!” “Don’t whine! We literally bought a house for you, so the least you could do is be grateful!” Selena growled.

Mahannana laughed, barely able to contain her excitement. ‘It’s here! The day finally came!’ She wanted to pinch herself to make sure it wasn’t a dream. “Ma-Chan?” Pip tugged on her dress. “Is it really ours now?” Mahannana smiled down at the Tanuki's sparkling eyes and patted him on the head. “Yep! All the paperwork is signed and the manager handed over the keys! I still can’t believe this is happening, but this is gonna be our house!” The four stared around in silence, dreaming about what the place would look like once it was fixed up. “This’ll be the shop area and upstairs and the basement will be our rooms and stuff.” “Can me and Pip keep our basement room?” Bisky sat up. “Yeah. But we’ll get you real furniture and seal the windows.”

“I can see the vision, and it is your money,” Selena started. “But why this house of all places, Ma-Chan? It’s in a back area that you can only reach by traveling through the alleys and behind a factory, so it's not a great spot for a business. Not to mention all the junk.” “Well, it seemed like a good way to get two certain somebodies to agree to move in with us.” Mahannana shot a sideways glance at Bisky, who flushed and turned with a huff. “And it was an all-around good deal. Yeah, it needs a lot of work, but it was dirt cheap and, in exchange for cleaning out the courtyard and handling any future junk disposal for the warehouse, they were willing to half the price even further!” She looked at her mother. “We’re going to need stuff for the business before we can open, not to mention household stuff and things for the kids, right? Why waste money if we can turn this into something cool? At least...I think that’s smart...is my reasoning correct?” She asked her mother. Selena came up and nuzzled her snout against her daughter’s leg. “Yep! See, you’ll figure out this adulting thing one day!” Selena promised. “Besides, you’re still a child and we’re in this together. This is daunting...but we’ll figure it out.”

An armful of items crashed to the floor as Aqua let out a series of defining sneezes. “Good lord!” Esmo hacked, smacking her chest. “When was the last time this place was opened? This is the place you had your heart set on?” The two entered the room hauling cleaning supplies. “Oh...” Aqua got a panicked look on his face. “This is gonna take a while...” Esmo took the brooms from him. “Well, there’ll be nine of us. Even if it takes a month or two, this place will be fit for living in no time!”

“Yeah!” Mahannana, Bisky, and Pip cheered and pumped their fists in the air. “Ma-Chan, remember, take it easy. I’m watching you.” Selena warned. “Y-yes mama!” Mahannana agreed as she took a broom and chose a corner to start cleaning. Everyone started sneezing even more as Aqua went around pulling the sheets off the furniture. “Air...can’t breathe...” Esmo wheezed. “Windows! Someone open the windows!” Bisky squealed as she and Pip scrambled for the nearest one.

“What in the world is going on in here?” Omthor was dumfounded as he and Lirhilde entered the room to see the two little kids half hanging out of a window. “Toxic air.” Esmo explained, tying her long hair up. “It’s so dusty in here!” “Hmm, well it seems that this will be my moment to shine!” Elfrida entered the house, the rest of the cleaning supplise floating in after her. “I know spells to get rid of dust and purify the air!” “You’re a hero, Elfrida!” Bisky called as she dangled like a corpse in the window. “Okay, now you’re making me nervous. We’ll open all the windows, but please come down!” Selena begged.

Mahannana watched in excitement as her family and friends fanned out to being tackling the imposing task of getting the property cleaned up. ‘I can’t help but think that I’m dreaming.’ She touched the key hanging from her waist, reassuring herself that it was still there. ‘A couple months ago, all I did was go to school, go back home, and worry about failing math class. But now...!’ She couldn’t help being grateful for everything she’d found in Nyxphiria.

Friends, found family, an educational path she enjoyed, two part time jobs that challenged her and now, her own home and business! It was everything she’d ever wanted but felt was out of reach back in Japan Even though she loved her new appearance, ability to use magic, and all the new scenery and adventures, it was the little things that she was most grateful for. Even if it was a slow process, she was coming out of her shelf and learning to articulate her feelings and desires for herself. She didn't feel so trapped inside her own head anymore.

The memory of Thoren, Kern and Alice flashed in her mind. ‘Even if there were scary things and hard times...I don’t regret anything. If I was given the chance to go back home, I’d never take it. I’m so blessed...getting sent to this world will always be the best thing that ever happened to me.’

“Hey, woman, quit yer slacking!” Bisky yelled from across the room. “Ma-Chan?” Her mother called. “Could you please help me? I’m struggling with my paws over here!”

Smiling, Mahannana turned to face her family and the future. “Coming!”

Part 1 End