Tessa smiled as she read the letter in her hands. It was an invitation, one that few within the Empire ever received. Certainly no one in Haven's Point ever had. The Guild of Healing in the Capital City; The Aeas had invited her to join them. She read over the letter a few times before planting it on the small dresser she sat in front of. She looked at the small and slightly cracked mirror to see her own smile. She twisted her head to the side as she took in her own disappointing face. Her slightly muddied skin and her bushy hair that fell beyond her shoulders, the only saving grace of her own appearance was her eyes—her fathers eyes—even they were a painful reminder of what once was. She shut down her thoughts as she averted her gaze.
"Not the time to be sad, Tess. You've got this, and—" She looked down at the letter one more time as she felt her cheeks blush, "—even if you don't like yourself, they did. So, hah!"
She reached out and touched the letter with her fingers, feeling the thick parchment on her skin and swiped with her free hand into the air, she wanted to see again why the Guild thought she, of all people was so special.
[Name: Tessa Novus
Race: Human, Female
Age: 18
Tier: 1
Path: Path of the Healer
Level: 1
Life Points: 21 / 21
Mana Points: 14 / 14
Strength: 4
Endurance: 4
Vitality: 3
Willpower: 4
Intelligence: 5
Perception: 4
Agility: 4
Luck: 3
Available Attributes for distribution: 0
Titles:
N/A
Innate Abilities:
Light's Touch - Rare - Tier 1, Level 1
Skills (0/5):
N/A]
There it was, in all its glory: 'Light's Touch', it even had a 'rare' rarity, and, in line with its own categorisation, rare really did mean rare. So rare that within all of the Empire, only one other had the same Innate ability that she possessed, and that person was none other than the High-Healer of the Guild of Healers.
She glanced at the other areas of her Statistics screen, Titles—obviously none yet; she was eighteen and only just beginning on her path. Skills, well—that was the same. It was incredibly rare for anyone to get a skill in the same year that they awakened, most only ever got skills from System rewards and rumour was that you had to be incredibly lucky to ever get picked for a System Quest.
She smiled once more as she remembered the uproar she'd caused when she announced her Innate Ability—the Archivists had run off in a frenzy. She giggled at having been the centre of so much attention, Eli would be in awe, she just hoped he wouldn't be jealous.
She didn't know where Elias, her—well, she didn't know what he was—was going to awaken. She'd gone to the Reach, only a couple of weeks away, and from how he always talked of being an adventurer, she guessed that he'd opt for the Capital. She shook her head and stood up, dismissing the Statistics screen and muttering, "I still can't believe they already heard about it in the Aeas. I'll have to tell Elias after the Festival."
She knew she could wait that long at least, it was six months or so before he awakened and she knew he was going to take the news hard—even if he didn't want to, she'd be the same if the roles were reversed.
"No time for that now. I've got somewhere to be." She said to herself as she straightened up, brushed off her clothes and shot outside.
Tessa remembered quite clearly the promise she'd made to Mira—Arwen bless her, she was adorable—and Tessa was sure she'd throw one Cosmos of a tantrum if she was any later.
She sped across dirt tracks and pathways that led along rows of small houses, she passed the blacksmith with the a wave as she came upon the Square, "Already putting up decorations? That's next, wait for me," she said to herself as she moved with hurried footsteps, taking in the fluster of peoples trying to arrange furniture and hang lanterns. Something to look forward to later, he'll be there too, If Jacob didn't have him doing some other wondrous job.
Only a few more minutes passed as she arrived at her destination, a small wooden home, she stepped onto the small porch and rapped her knuckle against the door softly, "Hello?" she called.
She heard footsteps approaching and only a few seconds passed when the door opened and a tall, hearty man stood in the open doorway, a beaming smile on his face as he looked at her, "Well, Tess, ain't I glad to see you?! My lil' angel ain't stopped yapping all morning! You've really got her in a frenzy you know?"
Tess smiled and put on her best innocent face, the one she knew would always work on Mira's dad, "I didn't want to wake you is all, I know how hard you both work! What with the festival coming up and all."
The man laughed jovially as he called out behind him "Sweetie. Tess is here for you."
"Thanks, Mr Rose." she said as she heard a flurried patter of footsteps from within.
"Tess is here?!" A soft and small voice eeked out from inside, followed quickly by the small girl coming into view, "TESS!" she yelped as she ran full speed towards Tessa.
A grin caught her as she giggled, the rampaging Mira approaching with speed, she braced for impact and—SLAM, Mira crashed straight into her waist, she wrapped her arms happily around the girl and ran a hand through her hair.
"Been waiting on you all morning Mira, what took you so—" Tess joked before being cut off swiftly by Mira, "—No you don't! I've been waiting for YOU all morning, haven't I daddy?!"
A belly laugh came instantly from Mr Rose as his eyes glinted with joy, "Now don't you involve me in your squabbles my little angel, jus' be good for Tess now eh?"
"I will!" Mira said as she gave a wide smile with a tilt of her head, the smile that Tess and her father knew all so well.
Another voice came from within, a much more stern voice, "And make sure she doesn't have too many treats Tessa! Not like last time!".
Tess felt the hairs on her neck stand up in alarm as she winced, Mrs Rose was NOT happy the last time she'd taken Mira out, apparently three honeyed apples was… too much.
"In fact, NO treats, none at all!" Mrs Rose called out, thankfully still outside of view—Tess couldn't take that cold glare she gave, it made her feel as though she was a kid again.
"Got it, Mrs Rose! Only a few treats!" She called back, before slamming her hand to her mouth in alarm, Oh no.
Immediately a flurry of shouts came from within as Mr Rose laughed even louder; he then leaned in and whispered to her "A treat or two didn't hurt no-one, now go before she catches you both."
Tess didn't need telling twice as she grabbed Mira's hand and they bolted off the porch and down the muddied roads.
Mira looked up at Tess with a grin, one she swore she'd adopted after spending so much time with her, "Mummy's going to tell you off, big time."
"Only if she catches me" Tess winked back.
They slowed once they'd cleared a couple of streets and panted for air with a giggle, "Right, Mira, let's find you that dress. I'm going to make sure its a good one!" She said to Mira in between her gasping breaths.
Mira only beamed back as they walked hand-in-hand. She was going to make sure that Mira had the finest dress available for the festival this evening. She deserved the best and Tess had been saving for a while. Mira was like the sister she never had—and never could have, after her parents had both passed, Elias and now, Mira were the closest thing she had to family.
She also needed one for herself, she couldn't forget that—Elias was there after all and—he'd be turning eighteen soon. She blushed at her own thoughts and squeezed Mira's hand. Today, was a good day.
-Break-
Elias's journey back to Haven's Point had taken a few hours, he'd run for fifteen minutes or so before he'd thought it safe enough to walk. His travel was full of his own thoughts—her death; his mothers, had been the driving force for all that he had done since. His training with Jacob, his research into adventurers and his obsession with Awakenings.
In six months, Elias would be Awakened and his connection to the system would be realised, just as Tess's had. He was still in awe of her access to her innate ability and wondered what he would receive himself.
He had dreams of travelling to the Aeas—the Empire of Organon's capital, to be awakened in the grand chambers of the Order, but, that was unlikely. Jacob would likely insist he go east to Morlan or Travesse, which were much closer.
It wouldn't matter; either way, he would finally have his path and be one step closer to becoming an Adventurer, one step closer to ending the curse of the Aberrations.
"Let's hope that I don't get a dud…" he had muttered to himself whilst deep in thought. He had spoken to a merchant passing through Haven's Point, and in his unending curiosity, he had pushed for details on the man's Awakened ability. Elias had been devastated to learn that the System could hamstring someone so badly. The man could summon feathers from his hands. Small, Pidgeon-sized feathers. It was a channelling skill of an uncommon rarity, and it was entirely useless, well, unless you wanted to make pillows for a living?
Elias smiled weakly as the errant train of thought pulled his mind away from the bizarre event he'd just experienced.
An hour or so more passed and he arrived on the outskirts of Haven's Point. Looking in from a distance he saw the dozens of buildings spread over a mile or so, a number of farms on the outskirts to the south and the towers of the chapel—easily seen from a distance sat at the northern edge. The church directly aligned to the face outwards from the Aeas. So that all who prayed faced the Capital and the supposed birthplace of the Prophet. Elias didn't think much of the gods, Arwen and Arvos. Stories conjured to explain the workings of the world and make excuses for the unending evils that occur throughout Eridoria.
Besides the church, farmlands and buildings, the square was also visible, as well as an array of what he could only assume were people scurrying around in the distance. The festival was tonight.
"I wonder if the old man will let me go," Elias said as he raised his hands to his face, "Well lad, now you're gonna have to work through the evenin'! Go on, off with ya!" he continued, assuming his best 'Jacob' voice.
"Get on with it, Elias." He thought as he pushed one foot in front of the other, heading towards the village.
-Break-
As he entered the village proper, he took in the bustle of the upcoming festival; people moving with purpose as they setup tables, hung decorations and delivered a variety of goods from the outskirts of the village to the central square. Elias took in the smell of freshly baked goods, the sound of joyful banter between the village-folk and the laughter of children doing all they could to disrupt the work.
A little of the tension he'd felt in the forest eased—but only a little. What he'd just experienced had shook him to the core. He rubbed his chest once more. "What was that…" he thought again.
Elias moved along the dirt tracks that led to the village square. As he did, he heard familiar voices calling out to him; "Out gathering 'erbs, Elias?" an older man chuckled as he adjusted a string of lanterns leading to the square.
"If only…" Elias replied.
"Jacob got you doing all the hard work again?!" A younger woman in simple clothes called out,
"Mm," he sounded as he glanced up.
"I wouldn't mind some hard work… but I'll pass on the herb gathering in the future," he thought.
A few more of the villagers greeted him as he passed through to the square, but he couldn't find it within himself to engage properly. He had far too much hanging over his mind.
Haven's Point was often like this—everyone knew everyone, and he, being one of the younger in the village, was known more than most. The up and comings were always the talk of the village—what new abilities would they bring? Tess had already started a wave after she announced her own—it was pretty amazing. A healing skill? They were as rare as they come.
With the market stalls coming into view, Elias found himself pause and a smile flow across his face. "Tessa," he muttered as he spotted her leaning against one of the markets stalls; watching the festival preparations around her with a lazy smile. The sun cast a warm glow on her face, highlighting the natural warmth and sun-kissed glow from days spent outside. Her dark hair fell loosely around her shoulders, framing her kind green eyes.
"Eli!" he heard her familiar voice shout and he saw her eyes light up as he approached, "Well, if it isn't the great apprentice himself!" she called out as she crossed her arms, a playful grin replacing her smile, "Where'd he send you this time then? Making more wooden friends?"
Despite the cutting thoughts of the vision he'd witnessed threatening to re-emerge—her voice broke through and he laughed. "Trees, Tess. They are trees! And despite what you think, I don't go around talking to them," he paused, as they came within reaching distance, "despite them probably making for better company."
"Oh, I don't doubt that," she returned without hesitation, her voice warm and familiar, "But—I bet they don't make you blush as much as I do?"
The lingering tension fell immediately as it was replaced with a surge of embarrassment, he pulled both hands to his face to cover up, "What do you mea—"
"Hah! I was only playing. You're far too easy to wind up nowadays El," Tess said as she placed a hand on his arm.
Elias grimaced inwardly as he dropped his arms—'she got me'—"Careful, Tess. I might think you've untoward intentions."
He felt a flutter in his chest, he didn't know when their relationship had turned from childhood friends to… this. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but recently, she'd been more assertive for his attention. Accompanying the assertiveness was also a range of bizarre new dimensions to their friendship, including what he would describe as a poor attempt at flirting—she was pretty good at it, but he had work to do.
Her grin widened as she shrugged, attempting to feign innocence. "So, what if I do? You'd be lost without me." She stepped closer, nudging his arm lightly, "Unless Jacob's warned you away from me?" she continued as she raised one hand mockingly to the side of her face, feigning hurt, "Since you're such a good boy, you'll do everything he says," she winked, her eyes full of mischief he still didn't quite know how to deal with.
Elias decided to play along, "Oh no, not at all, he's warned me of plenty. He's never mentioned anything about avoiding troublemakers like you. I guess he assumed I could work that much out myself," he said, trying his best to sound nonchalant, despite the emotions her teasing stirred.
They both laughed again together, and he saw her gaze turn softer, almost sad, "Tess?"
Elias saw Tess immediately switch her expression to a smile as she responded, "Lucky for you, I'm the good kind of trouble."
"Mmhmm," he sounded as he held her gaze in his own, a comfortable silence falling between them. He felt a belonging and closeness to Tessa, one that the memories he'd witnessed only reinforced.
Tessa broke the silence, "Well," she said as she stepped back, sighing , "Don't let me keep you. I know what Jacob's like, and so do you. He knows exactly how many minutes you've been in the village—and how many you've spent talking to me," she reached out towards his hand, he felt her fingers wrap around his and squeeze gently, "Don't get in trouble for me."
He squeezed back and shrugged with a smile, "Hah, as if! Maybe it's time I reminded him I have a life outside his stupid errands!"
Her face cracked into laughter, "You'd better," she teased as she shook her head, a playful glint in her eyes; she'd seen straight through his false bravado, "Don't forget our dance tonight. You promised me an evening to remember."
Elias grinned, "I might've promised that, but I don't remember agreeing to a dance," he said as he turned, releasing her hand slowly. The weight of his earlier encounter in the forest was momentarily forgotten.
He looked back as he moved away, catching a wave and her bright, reassuring smile.
"Time to see the old man." he thought as he brought a hand to his chest, "And trying to figure out whatever that was..."