Ki's footsteps slowed as Tetherwind came into view. As they stood atop a small nearby hill., her breath hitched in awe. It was Nestled in a lush valley and seemed to have sprung straight from a storybook. The homes were crafted from warm stone, polished wood, and sun-baked clay, their designs merging natural elegance with advanced ingenuity. Ivy and flowering vines climbed the walls, wrapping the structures in green and bursts of color. Everything about the place felt alive, thriving in perfect harmony with nature.
Tall windmills dotted the horizon, their blades spinning gracefully in the breeze. At their tips glimmered shiny stones, faintly glowing with an ethereal light. The soft hum of energy vibrated faintly in the air, steady and reassuring, like the pulse of an enormous, unseen heart.
"Do you feel it?" Demi asked, skipping ahead with boundless energy.
Ki nodded slowly, her eyes fixed on the glowing stone-tipped blades. "It's... magic?"
"Yup!" Demi chirped, spreading her arms wide to mimic the windmills' rotation. "The spinning things catch the wind and make it into magic!"
Ki raised an eyebrow. "Catch the wind?"
"Well... not exactly," Demi admitted, wrinkling her nose. "The wind turns the big blades, and that moves the shiny stones at the top! Those stones are called rune stones or runes for short, they take the wind's power and turn it into magic. Then it goes into those crystal things at the bottom!"
Ki squinted at the base of a windmill, where faintly glowing crystals were stacked neatly. "So the crystals are... batteries," she mused silently. It was ingenious, clean, renewable energy converted and stored, distributed across the place with those glowing patterns in the streets.
"What's with the shiny lines?" Ki asked, pointing to the intricate patterns etched into the cobblestones. They pulsed softly, forming a glowing web of interconnected circuits.
"Those are the magic pathways!" Demi explained. "They use a special metal, Arcanium to send magic everywhere, like to the houses and shops."
Ki nodded, taking it all in. The houses weren't just buildings; they seemed to breathe with life. The glowing circuits ran up walls and into homes.
Ki marveled as more wonders came into view. Lanterns, imbued with glowing runes, cast a warm, steady light that didn't flicker or dim, even as the wind brushed past them. Even the water system was enchanted. Aqueducts wound their way through the village, carrying water purified by shimmering runes carved into their stone surfaces. Ki watched as small fountains bubbled with crystal-clear water, spilling into troughs and basins for the prople to use freely.
"They've thought of everything," Ki muttered under her breath, her voice tinged with wonder.
"They've gotten smarter.", said Demi. Even their farms got tools that move the dirt and sprinkle water by themselves. And those little carts, they just go without needing horses!"
Ki's gaze followed one of the carts gliding silently down a cobblestone path. Its wheels glowed faintly, propelled by the same magic coursing through the circuits below.
This place wasn't just advanced, it was sustainable. Everything ran on natural, renewable sources: wind, water, and the intricate magic of the rune stones. Plants were everywhere, thriving in every nook and cranny. Flowerbeds bordered the paths, trees lined the streets, and climbing vines wrapped themselves around lamp posts. Even the rooftops were adorned with green patches, blending the homes seamlessly into the surrounding valley.
"This place," Ki thought, "it's like they've perfected the balance between nature and progress. No smoke, no wires, no clutter. Just... magic and life."
Demi tugged on Ki's sleeve, pulling her out of her thoughts. "You like it, don't you?"
"I do," Ki admitted, her voice soft.
"Good! Then let's go find those sweet materials already!" Demi huffed. "'We have been waiting forever!"
As they passed the hill, the village stretched out before them, glowing bright in the afternoon light. In the distance, they could see the silhouette of the center area through the gate, where more windmills spun lazily in the breeze.
Demi's mood brightened as she bounced ahead, her excitement returning. "Come human! We're almost there! Let's get those sweets"
Ki followed, her mind still whirring with questions. The enchanting beauty of the village couldn't mask the nagging feeling in her chest, the sense that this world, with all its magic and wonder, was hiding secrets. And somehow, she was part of them.
...After a few minutes of walking, the forest path widened and gradually turned into a proper road. Packed dirt gave way to flattened stone, and the scattered trees thinned until the wooden walls of the town rose clearly ahead of them.
The gate of Tetherwind stood open, framed by two sturdy watchtowers. It wasn't particularly grand, but compared to the quiet forest behind them, it felt like the entrance to an entirely different world.
Two guards stood there in polished armor, their spears resting casually against their shoulders. They didn't look tense or suspicious. If anything, they seemed almost bored, chatting with a passing merchant while occasionally glancing at the steady stream of people entering and leaving the town.
Ki slowed her pace slightly. She hadn't really thought about this part. People meant questions. Questions meant explanations and explanations were… complicated when you had literally fallen out of the sky.
One of the guards noticed Ki and Demi approaching and stepped forward.
"Hold it there," he said, raising a hand.
Ki stopped immediately. Demi nearly walked straight into him. For a brief moment she simply stared up at the armored man like she had run into an oddly shaped tree.
"Town entry check," the guard continued. "Names and business in Tetherwind."
Ki opened her mouth, then hesitated.
Right. Names.
That part she could answer. The business part, however, sounded significantly harder to explain without sounding insane.
"I'm Ki," she said carefully. "We just crossed the forest. I'm looking fo- "
"Candy!" Demi announced proudly.
Ki slowly closed her eyes.
The guard blinked.
"…Candy?"
"Yes!" Demi said, nodding enthusiastically.
Behind him, the second guard snorted, clearly trying and failing to suppress a laugh. The first guard was about to respond when his eyes drifted down to Demi's face. He paused. His gaze lingered for a moment. Then his eyebrows slowly lifted.
"…Oh."
Ki noticed the change instantly. The guard's stern expression melted into amusement.
He chuckled. "Back again, huh?"
Ki blinked. "…Back again?"
Demi quickly turned away, staring very intently at a nearby tree like it had suddenly become the most fascinating plant in existence.
"Must be someone else," she muttered.
The guard crouched slightly so he was at eye level with her. "Little blue hair, yellow hood, always wandering around the market asking strange questions…" he said with a grin. "Hard to mistake that."
Ki slowly turned her head toward Demi. The second guard was laughing openly now.
Demi pointed dramatically at the guards. "Lies! Slander! We have never seen these humans before!"
The first guard rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Didn't you try climbing the fountain statue last time?"
"And didn't you try trading pinecones for pastries?" the second guard added.
"They were very nice pinecones!" Demi argued.
Ki stared at her. Demi avoided eye contact.
The guard straightened up, still smiling.
"Well, she's harmless," he said. "You two can go in."
The guards stepped aside, letting them pass through the gate. Ki walked forward slowly, still processing what had just happened.
Harmless.
That was certainly one way to describe a goddess who can turn into a massive beast. Although they most likely didn't know that yet.
They passed fully into the town square, and Ki immediately began glancing around like a tourist who had just stepped into another universe.
The town was alive.
Market stalls stretched across the square, their colorful fabrics fluttering gently in the breeze. Merchants shouted over each other advertising spices, tools, fabrics, and glowing trinkets. The air smelled like bread, roasted meat, and something sweet drifting from somewhere deeper in the street. Everything felt loud, bright, and strangely exciting. For a moment, Ki almost forgot the situation she was in. Almost....
They had only taken a few steps down the street when Ki suddenly stopped.
"Demi."
No answer.
Demi continued walking like she hadn't heard anything.
"Demiiiii...."
Still nothing.
Ki narrowed her eyes. "You lied."
Demi shook her head firmly without even turning around.
"We prefer the term… selective memory." she said raising a finger above.
Ki stared at the back of her head. "You said you hadn't been here in centuries," Ki said. "You visit this Village all the time, don't you? Besides this isn't even a village, this is more like a Town"
Demi clasped her hands behind her back and began walking ahead quickly, adopting the exaggerated posture of someone pretending to be extremely important.
"Village. Town. It doesn't matter, We are a goddess," she said with dramatic dignity. "We simply observe the world from afar."
Ki raised an eyebrow. "Then why lie to me about it?"
Demi groaned dramatically.
"Ugh, fine!"
She spun around, pouting like a child who had just been caught stealing cookies. "We just didn't want to admit that we occasionally take this human form to watch the village."
Ki crossed her arms. "So you sneak into the town?"
"We do not sneak!" Demi protested. "We observe!"
Ki sighed. "…Right."
Demi quickly turned and started walking again, clearly hoping the conversation was finished. But Ki could still hear her muttering quietly under her breath.
"Besides… humans are interesting to see," Demi said softly, almost to herself.
She hesitated for a moment. "…and fun," she added.
Ki smirked slightly. But she pretended she hadn't heard that.