Chapter 5

Eleanor opened her eyes to find the sun already up, the warmth of the sun gently touching her skin. Instead of a white concrete ceiling, she saw the wood ceiling of the cabin. She had thought that it was all a dream and that once she woke up, she would wake up in her bedroom again.

Her gaze was concentrated on the nearby window as she crawled on the floor. It took her some time to adjust to the direct sunlight hitting her eyes. Despite the serene green scenery in front of her, her eyes started to tear up as she gazed outside.

It's beautiful here, but I cannot stay here for long. My father and mother are surely worried about me. What if this is just a dream that I can’t wake up from?

Eleanor sat there, staring out the window, thinking about everything that had happened.

"Now that you're awake, get yourself together and come down." From behind her, a pleasant voice spoke. She shifted her gaze to the elderly woman, who was searching through one of the chests for some fabrics.

Eleanor used her hair tie, which was always on her wrist, to pull her long hair back into a ponytail. She noticed her eyes, which were puffy from crying earlier, reflected in the window glass. She tried to smile at her own reflection, but it felt forced, so she gave up.

When she got to the first floor, she glanced around for Asmia, but she wasn't there. On the kitchen table, she found hot soup and water in a wooden tumbler.

She's probably outside doing something important.

A question had been lingering in her thoughts as she was eating, and it had been unanswered since they first met. She never asked since she was hesitant to bring up the subject.

I have to put my faith in her. Maybe I shouldn't, but I have this trust in her that she won't hurt me.

As she heard the animals outside making a noise of delight, she decided to eat quickly to clean the plate that she used. While picking up the plates and the tumbler, Asmia came in, carrying a basket full of herbal plants.

"Just put it over there." Asmia pointed at the sink near Eleanor.

"I want to help." Looking down at the plate, she said.

Asmia just stared at her for a moment before replying, "Then feel free to do so." and went to the table to put the herbs down.

Eleanor bit her lips when she turned around again to face the sink, seeing a barrel full of water beside it. She scooped the water into an old wooden bucket and felt the warmth of the water on her skin as she washed the plates and some of the utensils.

"For someone who has lived in another world, you are quick to adapt."

"This is something we do from time to time as well." Eleanor replied, drying her dripping hands on an apron she had discovered in the kitchen.

"Then how is your world different from this world?" Asmia curiously asked while sorting the herbs.

"I haven’t seen this whole world yet; I cannot compare for now." She took a deep breath.

"Come here and help me sort these out."

Eleanor approached her and waited for Asmia to guide her or instruct her. After a brief period, Asmia noticed Eleanor standing there, unsure of what to do.

"Oh right, just do this for me. Separate the leaves of this plant from its stalk." She instructed her.

Eleanor quickly followed her orders and sat in the chair across from Asmia, looking at the strange-looking purplish plant. She took it in her hands and began plucking the leaves.

"That herb is called Oquivoa. It is used to relieve body aches. Growing older, I need it to ease my painful back." As they each buried themselves in their own jobs, she explained to Eleanor.

"Living alone in the middle of the forest must have been difficult for you." She expressed sympathy for the old woman's situation, but Asmia simply laughed.

"Not at all, I prefer peacefully living here alone rather than having to interact with people in crowded places." She said this while smiling at Eleanor, who was looking at her with a small smile on her face.

I admire how she enjoys staying here alone and how she manages to enjoy herself while living in peace.

"There are other people?" Eleanor asked without thinking. She immediately realized and was embarrassed because of her own question.

"It isn't, however, a deserted world. It's likely that you'll see other people as well, or that you'll encounter unfamiliar creatures." Asmia responded kindly, ignoring the fact that she had posed an obvious question.

"What kind of creatures are they?" Eleanor questioned; her attention drawn to what Asmia was saying.

"This world is home to a diverse range of creatures. Some are deadly, while others are gentle, some are overly protective of their territories, while others are simply hidden from sight."  She took a breather before continuing, "That’s why you need to be careful with your surroundings and I am strictly warning you not to wander in this forest by yourself. You may end up in the territory of some beasts. Such dangers must be avoided." While staring at her, Asmia said seriously.

Eleanor took a deep breath and swallowed hard, realizing that if Asmia hadn't found her in the woods, she may now be a cold body, or worse, buried inside a beast's stomach.

"Yes, understood." She nodded, listening to every word she said, imprinting it on her mind.

They both fell silent after their chat, preoccupied with their tasks. Asmia separated the herbs into individual jars once they were finished.

"Assist me in preparing a supper." Asmia said as she finished putting the jars away in the cupboard.

"Sure." She smiled and nodded, agreeing without hesitation.

Asmia stood up to get the ingredients that they needed and headed to a cellar door on the floor that Eleanor didn’t notice.

"Let us cook outside. You may now head there and begin preparing the woods that we will be using." As she descended the stairs to the cellar, she said. Eleanor nodded and proceeded to the front door.

As she stepped outside, the scent of the forest flooded her nostrils once more, prompting her to take deep breaths and close her eyes as she took in the soothing atmosphere. She sighed as she walked outdoors, examining the area for the woods that Asmia had mentioned.

She finally discovered it on the other side of the cabin after a minute of searching. She proceeded to the front, picking up three chopped woods at a time. Eleanor was pacing back and forth gathering wood when she stopped when she noticed a white horse-like thing staring at her from afar. It struck her as strange to see a horse with two horns on its head.

She immediately thought of the fantasy creature unicorns that children constantly talk about in their world while thinking about why it seemed similar while looking at the creature's form, with the exception that it had two horns instead of one. Eleanor remained stunned, speechless, staring at the creature she had never imagined seeing in person.

When Eleanor heard the cabin door open, the creature turned its attention to the door, staring at Asmia for a while before turning around and running into the forest, disappearing from Eleanor’s sight.

"Have you seen that Asmia?" she said, still not over the fact that she saw the creature in person.

"What is it?"

"That creature looking over here a while ago. It’s beautiful." Eleanor said while her gaze remained fixed in the direction where she saw the creature.

"Oh, that creature was called Hwyra, a magical creature who always wanders around here but rarely shows itself. You're fortunate that it chose to show itself to you."

Eleanor smiled as she continued on her way to the wood pile on the ground. Asmia was bringing a heavy cauldron from the inside, and Eleanor saw her struggling to lift it and hurried over to assist her.

They placed the woods beneath it, and Eleanor kept an eye on Asmia as she went off to pick up a small creature before returning to their spot. She let down the rooster-like creature, which had bright purple and blue feathers and eyes. Asmia kneeled and turned the rooster towards the woods after it stared at the two of them.

"Don’t get too close, the Fyerus’ fire can be too intense at times." She warned her. Eleanor was perplexed, but decided to follow her and stay back.

Asmia held the creature's body and scratched its nape, causing it to screech, Eleanor stood there watching. As she watched it cough smoke, her brow furrowed.

"Why is it—" she stopped when she saw that it blasted fire from its mouth, causing the woods to burn. Asmia ceased scratching its nape and patted its head before letting it go when it was no longer needed.

"What- what was that?" She stuttered, stunned by what had just occurred.

"As I already stated, this world may be too different to your own. That could be the case." She said as she worked on the woods beneath the cauldron.

"On Earth, there are no creatures like that." Eleanor sighed as she gathered herself and took a seat on a piece of wood.

"Earth?" Asmia asked.

"The world where I came from."

Eleanor found it strange to utter such words, half believing in the existence of the world in which she found herself.

She bit her lower lip and hugged her knees as she glanced at the ground, trying not to cry again.

"It's bittersweet to realize you're too far away from the things you're used to seeing and feeling." Asmia heard her whisper enough to stop herself from prodding the woods.

They remained silent until they had finished eating and cleaning up. As soon as they were finished, Asmia told Eleanor to go grab some clothing so she could bathe.

Eleanor sat on the floor, opening the chest where she saw Asmia's niece's clothes. She saw another white dress with a brown corset there. She picked it up and returned to Asmia, who awaited her at the front entrance with a bucket and a towel-like fabric draped over her right arm.

"Follow me, and don’t take your eyes off the path." She nodded and they started to walk through the forest, embarking on a journey.

Eleanor began to hear the sound of peaceful, flowing water after a while of walking. As she got closer, she noticed a stunningly blue, massive freshwater lake at the end of the woods. She was taken aback by her surroundings, since she had never imagined that something so lovely could exist. She untied her hair and let it blow in the wind.

"It’s beautiful, isn’t it?" Asmia asked, who was also admiring the peaceful view of the lake.

"It is." She replied with a smile.

"Go ahead and take a bath. Don’t get too far away from the lake to avoid invading the water creatures' territory. You must wait for me here." She warned her seriously and went inside the forest to collect some plants.

Eleanor took off her shoes and walked barefoot on the cold ground, undressing as she sunk into the water and feeling the cold water on her skin. It's a little cold for her, but it's also soothing.

She sat on a piece of chopped wood beside the lake, waiting for Asmia to return, after bathing, washing the garments she wore, and dressing in the clothes she obtained. She glanced at the tranquil and lovely blue lake, and far away, she noticed creatures swimming in the lake, a creature with a human upper body and lower body of a fish tail having colorful scales.

Things aren’t the same right now. Maybe I’m lucky that Asmia found me instead of being lost in this forest forever. I wonder how my parents are. Is Lucas back? I don’t know anymore. I have so many unanswered thoughts inside my head. I feel like I’m going crazy.

As she watched the blue skies, she was suddenly reminded of the memory of her and Lucas, talking at the park about fantasy. She silently wished that she could be there with him to witness these things with him. Seeing all of the things they’ve always talked about come to life.