Aria opens her eyes and finds herself in an unfamiliar wooden cabin. She was lying on a cabin bed. She looks out the window beside her bed and sees tall, towering trees and a small river. Taking a moment to survey the room, she realizes it is small, with only one bed and a small dresser. On the dresser, there is a mirror. Aria stands up and walks slowly towards the mirror. She stares at herself, noticing that her clothes are different from what she wore before. She is now wearing an old brown tunic. Someone must have changed her clothes while she was unconscious. But the most significant change is her hair, which has turned white as snow. She pinches the tip of her hair to feel its texture, finding it unchanged except for the color. Looking into the mirror, she sees sadness in her green eyes, reflecting the recent events. However, she is determined to move forward. Aria leaves the room and is greeted by the aroma of herbs, spices, and chemicals. It is a familiar scent and view-an apothecary. She looks around, hoping to find the owner of the house, but there is no one inside. Suddenly, her stomach rumbles, indicating that she must have been unconscious for days to feel this hungry. Without anyone to ask for permission, Aria takes the liberty to cook herself a meal. As an apothecary, she is not only skilled in making potions but also a talented cook. She gathers some vegetables and prepares a vegetable soup. Sitting down at a small dining table, she observes her surroundings as she takes each bite. There are no signs that could lead her to the identity of the owner, except for some old tunics, a hood, and a cloak hanging on a clothes rack. However, since there is only one set of utensils, it suggests that the owner is alone. The day is still young, so after her meal, Aria washes herself up and cleans the cabin as a gesture of gratitude to the person who took care of her. After cleaning, she takes a bath in the nearby river and tends to the small garden. The owner seems to be an apothecary as well, as there are various flowers and herbs, most of which Aria is familiar with.
As Aria looked at the flowers in the garden, one in particular caught her attention. It was a blue flower with long, elongated petals marked with red lines. It had a very aromatic smell that you would instantly know it was there. It was called "Scarletsky". She then remembered a memory from when she was younger, back when her mother was still alive. Her mother was a full-fledged elf, tall and slender, with beautiful ginger-colored hair, just like Aria used to have. Her mother was kind and generous. She taught Aria about flowers and how they could be used as medicines and potions. This flower, in particular, Scarletsky, was her mother's favorite. She would place it in Aria's hair as an adornment. Aria, who was only around 5 years old at the time, was very attentive to her mother's lectures. Her fascination with flowers was due to her mother. She would also accompany her mother, who was an assistant to the Master Apothecary, Eredin.
After the loss of her parents, Eredin took care of her and she became his apprentice. Aria, reminiscing about the past, became teary-eyed in light of recent events - the death of her friends and Master. Aria cried silently as she looked at the flowers. After a few moments of crying, she wiped her tears and went to the forest. She found a place of solitude, a small open area with an old tree. She stacked some rocks in three places consecutively and etched names on each one: Eredin, Zephyr, and Thalia. She planted flowers around the makeshift graves and prayed to the goddess for their souls. As the afternoon turned into evening, Aria returned to the cabin and began reading a book when the door suddenly opened.
Aria was surprised to see the person standing in front of the door wearing an outfit consisting of a long, black, waxed coat, gloves, boots, and a wide-brimmed hat. But the most peculiar part of their attire was the bird-like mask with round glasses attached to the eyes of the mask. The person looked at Aria and then proceeded to enter the house, removing her mask, satchel and cloak and hanging them on the clothes rack. Aria looked at the person and noticed their features. It turned out the person was a woman, a beautiful elf woman with raven black hair. She was slender and tall, with long ears that were apparent to her race. Aria, being a half-elf, felt a sense of excitement to see someone who shared her racial profile, and her elf ears moved a little in response.
"Didn't anyone teach you that it's rude to stare?" the elf woman spoke in a mature tone, her purple eyes staring at Aria. "I-I'm sorry!" Aria apologized, feeling embarrassed as she remembered Luna's past words that used to call her out for staring. "It's just that I haven't seen anyone like you for a while," Aria tried to make light conversation with the woman.
"You mean an elf? You'll be seeing a lot of our kind here," the woman replied in an earnest tone. It then hit Aria that she wasn't in the Merthol Kingdom anymore. She had been transported to a different country.
"You're in the Sylvenspire Kingdom, one of the three elven Kingdoms," the woman informed Aria.
Aria then recollected her knowledge of the Three Elven Kingdoms. The first was the Kingdom of Luminaris, where the base of the Elder Great Tree, also known as The Goddess Tree, resided. The capital, Celestria, was ruled by pure elves. It was one of the two elven places they had traveled to before, as Luna was one of the Paladins who protected the Goddess Tree.
The second was the Kingdom of King's Harbor, located near the sea, hence the name. The only way to go to the Kingdom of Luminaris was through King's Harbor as you need to sail by ship to reach the continent. This was also one of the elven places the Hero's Party travelled. Contrary to the size of the Kingdom, it was the largest port in the world, attracting businessmen and merchants from all around. The kingdom was ruled by a half-elf King who welcomed visitors with open arms.
The third was the Kingdom of Sylvenspire. Here, they had an old tradition where the kingdom was led by a queen elf. The elves in Sylvenspire lived in trees and were fiercely protective of their land. The kingdom was known for its abundance of unique and rare herbs and flowers. However, dangerous beasts and monsters also lurked in the area.
So Aria was in the farthest part of the elven continent. Even though the Sylvenspire Kingdom was not as sophisticated, it was the largest of the three kingdoms due to the vast forest ruled by the Elf Queen.
Aria, who thought that she had been rude to her rescuer, decided to stand and give the elf woman her most sincere and graceful bow. "I-I'm sorry for being a bother and thank you very much for saving me and letting me stay here! I'm Aria Nightbloom! An Apothecary!" Aria spoke so fast with her voice shaking that the elf woman chuckled a bit. Aria twiddled her hair, seemingly nervous. "Relax, okay. I'm not going to bite your head off," the elf woman calmly assured Aria. She studied Aria's appearance from head to toe. She was considerably short for an average half-elf. "My name is Dorothiel Aephine, I'm a Plague Healer, you can call me Dorothy, most people do," Dorothy introduced herself, making Aria less nervous. Aria had questions in her mind but she didn't know if it was okay to ask and not be rude, but the curiosity was killing her so she asked anyway. "Uhm, if I may ask. How did you come to find me?" Dorothy looked at her and saw the uneasiness Aria had and answered her sincerely and as gently as she could. "I found you in a forest near the town I was working in. I was gathering raw ingredients when I saw you. You were covered in vines, if I didn't know any better I'd think you were there for a long time but that's impossible since you're still alive," Dorothy explained. "I didn't want to bring you to a town that has succumbed to the Black Miasma, so I brought you here," she added. Aria was piqued by that word "Black Miasma". She had never heard of that disease before, but she would not ask about that right now, she needed to know one more thing. "Was someone with me? A man? He was a soldier," Aria referred to Elias, who was with her when they were transported. "A man? As in a human?" Dorothy's brow raised as she found it strange that a man, especially a soldier, was supposed to be with Aria. "No, there wasn't anyone besides you," Dorothy answered, not wanting to pry further into the topic. Aria was confused. Where could Elias be? Then Dorothy continued. "I found you three days ago. I was surprised to see that you were still breathing so I did my best to nurse you back to health." Aria's mind was still worried about Elias but she needed to repay the kind elf woman for saving her. "Thank you so much for saving me," Aria gave her her most sincere bow once more. Dorothy was quite piqued looking at Aria and asked, "Does your father have white hair? I've never seen a half-elf or any elf with white hair. Are you sure you're a half-elf and not half drow?" Dorothy was a little suspicious as the Drows were the Elves' enemy. "N-no!... I-I had an.... accident," Aria nervously said, hoping she wouldn't pry any further. "Huh, I thought I'd seen everything being in this world for 300 years," Dorothy said. Aria was a bit surprised at how old the elf woman was, but it was true that elves lived for a long time. Being a half-elf herself, their kind would only live half of that of an elf.
Dorothy then asked the obvious question. "So, Aria, how did you get stuck in those vines? Are you from around here?" Aria, who was already nervous, now felt panic as she didn't know how to answer that. Dorothy saw this and sensed that Aria was hiding something, but as she appeared to be a harmless young half-elf, she decided to let her off the hook. "You don't have to answer if this subject is too sensitive for you," Dorothy said. Aria, feeling guilty about hiding something from her rescuer, was in a dilemma. She didn't know herself the extent of the chaos that had been unleashed into the world and she didn't want Dorothy to get dragged into it, so she gave a vague answer. "I'm sorry but I don't remember much of what happened, but I am from Cosmopolis, in the Kingdom of Merthol."
Dorothy's eyes widened as she heard that Aria was from Cosmopolis. "Are you one of the refugees? When did you come here to Sylvenspire?" Aria knew that it would take a few months to travel from Cosmopolis, so she just said, "A few months, maybe? I'm not sure." Aria's gaze averted from Dorothy's, but Dorothy had already caught Aria's lie. "That's impossible. No one lives in the Kingdom of Merthol anymore since the Dark Goddess conquered it." Aria was confused and said, "It was only a few days since that happened." Aria was confused about where this conversation was going. Dorothy's intrigue soared as she questioned Aria's true identity. "Who are you really?" she asked, her curiosity piqued. "The Dark Goddess conquered the Kingdom of Merthol five years ago," Dorothy claimed.
Aria opens her eyes and finds herself in an unfamiliar wooden cabin. She was lying on a cabin bed. She looks out the window beside her bed and sees tall, towering trees and a small river. Taking a moment to survey the room, she realizes it is small, with only one bed and a small dresser. On the dresser, there is a mirror. Aria stands up and walks slowly towards the mirror. She stares at herself, noticing that her clothes are different from what she wore before. She is now wearing an old brown tunic. Someone must have changed her clothes while she was unconscious. But the most significant change is her hair, which has turned white as snow. She pinches the tip of her hair to feel its texture, finding it unchanged except for the color. Looking into the mirror, she sees sadness in her green eyes, reflecting the recent events. However, she is determined to move forward. Aria leaves the room and is greeted by the aroma of herbs, spices, and chemicals. It is a familiar scent and view-an apothecary. She looks around, hoping to find the owner of the house, but there is no one inside. Suddenly, her stomach rumbles, indicating that she must have been unconscious for days to feel this hungry. Without anyone to ask for permission, Aria takes the liberty to cook herself a meal. As an apothecary, she is not only skilled in making potions but also a talented cook. She gathers some vegetables and prepares a vegetable soup. Sitting down at a small dining table, she observes her surroundings as she takes each bite. There are no signs that could lead her to the identity of the owner, except for some old tunics, a hood, and a cloak hanging on a clothes rack. However, since there is only one set of utensils, it suggests that the owner is alone. The day is still young, so after her meal, Aria washes herself up and cleans the cabin as a gesture of gratitude to the person who took care of her. After cleaning, she takes a bath in the nearby river and tends to the small garden. The owner seems to be an apothecary as well, as there are various flowers and herbs, most of which Aria is familiar with.
As Aria looked at the flowers in the garden, one in particular caught her attention. It was a blue flower with long, elongated petals marked with red lines. It had a very aromatic smell that you would instantly know it was there. It was called "Scarletsky". She then remembered a memory from when she was younger, back when her mother was still alive. Her mother was a full-fledged elf, tall and slender, with beautiful ginger-colored hair, just like Aria used to have. Her mother was kind and generous. She taught Aria about flowers and how they could be used as medicines and potions. This flower, in particular, Scarletsky, was her mother's favorite. She would place it in Aria's hair as an adornment. Aria, who was only around 5 years old at the time, was very attentive to her mother's lectures. Her fascination with flowers was due to her mother. She would also accompany her mother, who was an assistant to the Master Apothecary, Eredin.
After the loss of her parents, Eredin took care of her and she became his apprentice. Aria, reminiscing about the past, became teary-eyed in light of recent events - the death of her friends and Master. Aria cried silently as she looked at the flowers. After a few moments of crying, she wiped her tears and went to the forest. She found a place of solitude, a small open area with an old tree. She stacked some rocks in three places consecutively and etched names on each one: Eredin, Zephyr, and Thalia. She planted flowers around the makeshift graves and prayed to the goddess for their souls. As the afternoon turned into evening, Aria returned to the cabin and began reading a book when the door suddenly opened.
Aria was surprised to see the person standing in front of the door wearing an outfit consisting of a long, black, waxed coat, gloves, boots, and a wide-brimmed hat. But the most peculiar part of their attire was the bird-like mask with round glasses attached to the eyes of the mask. The person looked at Aria and then proceeded to enter the house, removing her mask, satchel and cloak and hanging them on the clothes rack. Aria looked at the person and noticed their features. It turned out the person was a woman, a beautiful elf woman with raven black hair. She was slender and tall, with long ears that were apparent to her race. Aria, being a half-elf, felt a sense of excitement to see someone who shared her racial profile, and her elf ears moved a little in response.
"Didn't anyone teach you that it's rude to stare?" the elf woman spoke in a mature tone, her purple eyes staring at Aria. "I-I'm sorry!" Aria apologized, feeling embarrassed as she remembered Luna's past words that used to call her out for staring. "It's just that I haven't seen anyone like you for a while," Aria tried to make light conversation with the woman.
"You mean an elf? You'll be seeing a lot of our kind here," the woman replied in an earnest tone. It then hit Aria that she wasn't in the Merthol Kingdom anymore. She had been transported to a different country.
"You're in the Sylvenspire Kingdom, one of the three elven Kingdoms," the woman informed Aria.
Aria then recollected her knowledge of the Three Elven Kingdoms. The first was the Kingdom of Luminaris, where the base of the Elder Great Tree, also known as The Goddess Tree, resided. The capital, Celestria, was ruled by pure elves. It was one of the two elven places they had traveled to before, as Luna was one of the Paladins who protected the Goddess Tree.
The second was the Kingdom of King's Harbor, located near the sea, hence the name. The only way to go to the Kingdom of Luminaris was through King's Harbor as you need to sail by ship to reach the continent. This was also one of the elven places the Hero's Party travelled. Contrary to the size of the Kingdom, it was the largest port in the world, attracting businessmen and merchants from all around. The kingdom was ruled by a half-elf King who welcomed visitors with open arms.
The third was the Kingdom of Sylvenspire. Here, they had an old tradition where the kingdom was led by a queen elf. The elves in Sylvenspire lived in trees and were fiercely protective of their land. The kingdom was known for its abundance of unique and rare herbs and flowers. However, dangerous beasts and monsters also lurked in the area.
So Aria was in the farthest part of the elven continent. Even though the Sylvenspire Kingdom was not as sophisticated, it was the largest of the three kingdoms due to the vast forest ruled by the Elf Queen.
Aria, who thought that she had been rude to her rescuer, decided to stand and give the elf woman her most sincere and graceful bow. "I-I'm sorry for being a bother and thank you very much for saving me and letting me stay here! I'm Aria Nightbloom! An Apothecary!" Aria spoke so fast with her voice shaking that the elf woman chuckled a bit. Aria twiddled her hair, seemingly nervous. "Relax, okay. I'm not going to bite your head off," the elf woman calmly assured Aria. She studied Aria's appearance from head to toe. She was considerably short for an average half-elf. "My name is Dorothiel Aephine, I'm a Plague Healer, you can call me Dorothy, most people do," Dorothy introduced herself, making Aria less nervous. Aria had questions in her mind but she didn't know if it was okay to ask and not be rude, but the curiosity was killing her so she asked anyway. "Uhm, if I may ask. How did you come to find me?" Dorothy looked at her and saw the uneasiness Aria had and answered her sincerely and as gently as she could. "I found you in a forest near the town I was working in. I was gathering raw ingredients when I saw you. You were covered in vines, if I didn't know any better I'd think you were there for a long time but that's impossible since you're still alive," Dorothy explained. "I didn't want to bring you to a town that has succumbed to the Black Miasma, so I brought you here," she added. Aria was piqued by that word "Black Miasma". She had never heard of that disease before, but she would not ask about that right now, she needed to know one more thing. "Was someone with me? A man? He was a soldier," Aria referred to Elias, who was with her when they were transported. "A man? As in a human?" Dorothy's brow raised as she found it strange that a man, especially a soldier, was supposed to be with Aria. "No, there wasn't anyone besides you," Dorothy answered, not wanting to pry further into the topic. Aria was confused. Where could Elias be? Then Dorothy continued. "I found you three days ago. I was surprised to see that you were still breathing so I did my best to nurse you back to health." Aria's mind was still worried about Elias but she needed to repay the kind elf woman for saving her. "Thank you so much for saving me," Aria gave her her most sincere bow once more. Dorothy was quite piqued looking at Aria and asked, "Does your father have white hair? I've never seen a half-elf or any elf with white hair. Are you sure you're a half-elf and not half drow?" Dorothy was a little suspicious as the Drows were the Elves' enemy. "N-no!... I-I had an.... accident," Aria nervously said, hoping she wouldn't pry any further. "Huh, I thought I'd seen everything being in this world for 300 years," Dorothy said. Aria was a bit surprised at how old the elf woman was, but it was true that elves lived for a long time. Being a half-elf herself, their kind would only live half of that of an elf.
Dorothy then asked the obvious question. "So, Aria, how did you get stuck in those vines? Are you from around here?" Aria, who was already nervous, now felt panic as she didn't know how to answer that. Dorothy saw this and sensed that Aria was hiding something, but as she appeared to be a harmless young half-elf, she decided to let her off the hook. "You don't have to answer if this subject is too sensitive for you," Dorothy said. Aria, feeling guilty about hiding something from her rescuer, was in a dilemma. She didn't know herself the extent of the chaos that had been unleashed into the world and she didn't want Dorothy to get dragged into it, so she gave a vague answer. "I'm sorry but I don't remember much of what happened, but I am from Cosmopolis, in the Kingdom of Merthol."
Dorothy's eyes widened as she heard that Aria was from Cosmopolis. "Are you one of the refugees? When did you come here to Sylvenspire?" Aria knew that it would take a few months to travel from Cosmopolis, so she just said, "A few months, maybe? I'm not sure." Aria's gaze averted from Dorothy's, but Dorothy had already caught Aria's lie. "That's impossible. No one lives in the Kingdom of Merthol anymore since the Dark Goddess conquered it." Aria was confused and said, "It was only a few days since that happened." Aria was confused about where this conversation was going. Dorothy's intrigue soared as she questioned Aria's true identity. "Who are you really?" she asked, her curiosity piqued. "The Dark Goddess conquered the Kingdom of Merthol five years ago," Dorothy claimed.
