[Two Years Later]
The summer sun was shining brightly over Oakhaven, baking the muddy roads into hard, cracked dirt.
Sixteen-year-old Roya sat behind the small wooden counter of her makeshift clinic, staring down at a small pile of copper coins. She wasn't struggling to count them—she knew exactly how much was there down to the last half-copper. Instead, she was meticulously polishing a slightly dull coin with the edge of her sleeve, organizing them into perfectly even little towers with a proud, highly satisfied grin on her face. As the Little Miser, nothing brought her more peace than watching her emergency funds grow.
"Roya! Come eat!"
Elara's warm voice called from the kitchen.
Roya's face instantly lit up, abandoning her coin towers entirely.
She quickly swept the copper into a hidden leather pouch, hopped over the counter, and hurried into the back room.
As she ran, her deep, vibrant purple hair fluttered wildly behind her, catching the golden sunlight streaming through the window. She had grown taller over the last two years, but as she slid into her wooden chair, her striking, violet eyes widened with the exact same childlike excitement she always had when she saw two steaming bowls of vegetable stew on the table.
"Smells amazing, Mom!" Roya said, digging in immediately.
Elara looked healthier than ever, her skin glowing with life. She smiled, brushing a stray lock of purple hair from Roya's face. "You've been sitting out there staring at your coins all morning, little bird. You need to take a break."
"But if I don't guard them, how will I know if they run away?" Roya joked with her mouth full.
Before she could take another bite, the bell at the front of the clinic rang. Roya groaned, her business face snapping back on as she marched out front.
Finn was standing by the counter. The baker's son was eighteen now, having grown broad-shouldered from lifting heavy sacks of flour.
"Finn," Roya said, resting her chin in her hands. "Another injury?"
"Yeah," Finn said, holding up his forearm. There was a microscopic, barely visible scratch on his skin. "Caught it on a bread basket. Stings pretty bad."
Roya stared at the tiny scratch. Then she looked at his face. Finn was smiling, but it didn't reach his eyes. He wasn't looking at the scratch either. He was staring at her purple hair with an intensity that made Roya deeply uncomfortable. He hadn't blinked since she walked into the room.
(He just wants an excuse to stand here and stare at me,) Roya thought, completely clueless as to why he found her so fascinating, but well aware that his lingering presence always felt strange.
Still, a paying customer was a paying customer.
"That will be one copper," Roya said flatly. She grabbed a small dab of basic herbal paste and smeared it over the scratch.
Finn didn't wince. His eyes remained fixed heavily on Roya's face. "Your hair looks even more beautiful today, Roya," he murmured softly.
"One copper, Finn,"
Roya repeated, ignoring the compliment entirely.
Finn blinked. "Right. Of course." He dropped the coin on the counter and walked out the door. Roya quickly rubbed her arms, trying to shake off the unsettling chill his gaze always left behind.
Later that afternoon, Roya headed to the market to restock her herbs. The village square was packed, and the summer gossip was in full swing.
"I heard the Lorin Kingdom still hasn't chosen a successor," a merchant yelled over the crowd. "But they announced a coronation for this year for sure! If those princes don't figure it out, there will be blood in the streets."
Roya squeezed past them, stopping to inspect some dried roots. Next to her, two village women were whispering excitedly.
"Why go to the apothecary when you can go to the Church?" one woman said, pointing toward the center of Oakhaven. "The Holy people built it right here in our village! They can heal any disease instantly! A true miracle!"
Roya glanced over. It was the exact reason her clinic's profits had dipped lately. People were flocking to this new religion.
(A miracle? Yeah, right,) Roya scoffed internally. (It's a scam. Healing takes time and knowledge, not a magic flash of light. Whatever, let them get scammed. I still have enough saved up.)
She bought her herbs and began the walk home. But as she approached her house, she heard a loud, aggressive male voice echoing from inside.
"...think you can just hide from me?"
Roya stepped into the doorway and froze. The living room was a mess. A tall, heavily bearded man in filthy clothes was swaying drunkenly. Garret. Her step-father.
Elara was backed up against the wall, pleading. "We don't have any money, Garret! Please, leave!"
"Lying wench!" Garret spat, his face red with drunken fury. "I heard the news! She revived you from a corpse, and now you're earning tons of money from that clinic! Give me the money, I will keep it safe!"
Thud.
Roya's basket of herbs slipped from her hands, hitting the floorboards.
Garret snapped his head toward the noise.
He stared at Roya for a brief second, his lip curling in a sneer. Never having cared about his step-daughter in the first place, he dismissed her completely, turning his back on her. He raised his heavy hand to slap Elara across the face.
Roya didn't hesitate. She wasn't the helpless child he had abandoned. She crossed the room in a flash and caught his descending wrist mid-air.
"Let go of me!" Garret roared, trying to yank his arm back. He couldn't budge an inch.
Roya looked up at him. Her deep violet eyes were glowing fiercely—a supernatural, radiant light that always flared to life whenever she channeled her power.
"You left us for dead," Roya snarled, her voice dripping with venom. "When she was freezing, when we had nothing... you ran away. And now you come back for my money?"
Dense, dark purple Aether seeped directly from Roya's fingertips into Garret's wrist, wrapping tightly around his nerve endings.
"AAAAAGH!" Garret shrieked, his knees buckling. It felt like his arm was on fire. "Let me go! What are you doing, you degenerate kid?!"
Roya pumped even more Aether into his arm.
Garret let out a massive, agonizing scream, collapsing entirely onto the floor. "Please! Let me go! I'll leave, okay?!"
Elara rushed forward, gently placing a trembling hand on Roya's shoulder. "Roya... let him go. Please."
Elara knew how Roya had healed her, and seeing her daughter use that same power to hurt someone frightened her. Roya took a deep breath. The glowing purple faded from her eyes, and she released his wrist.
Garret quickly dragged himself backward across the floor, clutching his arm in terror. He scrambled out the door, staggering down the path. He turned back just once, his face pale.
"You're a monster!" Garret spat, fear widening his eyes. "I won't forget this! Just you wait!"
The moment he was gone, the adrenaline left Roya's body. Elara pulled her into a fierce hug, shedding a tear of absolute relief. Roya hugged her mother back tightly, burying her face in her shoulder.
The next day, the market was filled with members of the Church. People in pristine white robes were roaming around, advertising their miracles and asking villagers to join.
Roya noticed many locals already wearing the Church's symbol on their wrists and necks: a round ring with a plus sign inside it, the lower stick extending down past the circle.
Roya rolled her eyes and took the long way home, walking the path that ran beside the empty, harvested rice fields. The air was fresh and sweet.
Walking toward her were Oakhaven's only two guards. The village was poor, so they wore no armor—just basic tunics, cheap boots, and rusted swords strapped to their waists.
Roya slowed her pace, listening to their conversation as they passed.
"I'm telling you, it's not just a bandit," the taller guard muttered. "It's a rogue swordsman causing issues in the Great Kira Forest."
"Just one guy?"
the other guard laughed.
"Just one! I heard he fought off an entire squad of knights from Albert! By himself!"
Roya's brow furrowed. (A swordsman fighting Albert's knights in the Great Kira Forest? That's too close to home.)
She returned to the house as the sun began to set. Elara had already prepared the table. They sat down in the peaceful, warm glow of the room, ready to eat their dinner in quiet peace. Roya picked up her spoon.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
A sudden, violent pounding rattled their front door.
"Open the door!"
a panicked, breathless voice screamed from outside. "Please! Open quickly!"