I had assumed that I hadn't written enough for a chapter to be published but, guess what? I did! ^^ Lol, here's the much awaited update!
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Alysa pov:
I woke up several times during the night thanks to vivid dreams I couldn't understand or remember the following morning. I was under-rested and in a slight daze as I got ready for the day. Having got into a one piece as usual and tied my hair up in a ponytail, I exited my room while yawning. Upon stepping into the living room, the first thing I noticed and that made me stall and gaze at it curiously was a beautiful white bird – not just any bird, but one that looked like a phoenix. Its amethyst eyes met mine and it cooed softly, as if curious of me as well.
"How did you get inside?" I mumbled more to myself and stepped to the bird hesitantly. It was quite big, nearly half my size, but, oddly enough, did not give off a dangerous aura.
It did not shy away when I attempted to touch it, reaching towards it tentatively with my hand. So, hesitantly, I inched closer to it and let the back of my fingers touch the soft feathers of its neck. It cooed again and flared the feathers of its neck a bit, as if enjoying my gesture and it gave me more confidence to stroke it. A smile came upon my lips and I let my fingers run down its back as well.
"I guess it's not odd to see a phoenix in this world since it does have some sense of magic to it already," I mused to myself. "But I can't let you stay here."
I stepped to the balcony door and opened it, and motioned to the bird to fly away, hoping it would understand. It didn't though and merely cocked its head sideways while watching me with another soft coo. No amount of persuasion seemed to make the bird leave, not even tempting it with some grains to eat. After several failed attempts to get it to leave, I gave up with a sigh, but left one of the windows in the living room open with some grains on the sill, hoping that the bird would eat it and leave when I left.
After a quick breakfast, I headed downstairs and greeted Arran who had already arrived. As he had said yesterday, he had brought along the Zero who worked for him – a man perhaps in his mid-twenties with long silver hair and soft grey eyes. He had a small, warm smile playing on his lips as he watched me and introduced himself, "Hello, Lady Alysa, I'm Lyle, a Zero. Although, I'm sure you know that since Master Arran told you about me yesterday and you can see the collar and tattoos I possess."
"Oh, um, yes, Arran did tell me he would bring a Zero to help. It's nice to meet you, Mr. Lyle," I responded, glancing once at Arran curiously. This Zero's appearance was not as I had expected it to be – he did not appear abused or unhappy in any way. He seemed healthy and rather content. It only reminded me of the curious reaction Arran had had when we had seen Mr. Kian yesterday.
"Oh, as much as I am thankful for your politeness, you should just call me Lyle, Lady Alysa. It is not good for normal people to give Zeros any titles – they will only be scorned upon and put in a tight spot," came Lyle's smooth answer, his smile widening slightly. He was happy that I had used a title with him when surely no one else would ever eve think of doing so with a Zero. "Shall we get to work then? I heard that there is much to be done."
"That would be great. Thank you for helping out today, Lyle," I said with a nod.
"Not at all. I am glad that I can be of help."
My gaze lingered on him a moment, then shifted to Arran who averted his eyes awkwardly under my curiosity. Something here was odd, very odd, but didn't seem like a matter that could be asked about. Suppressing my curiosity, we then got to work, hoping to have the place mostly set up by the end of the day. As for the food ingredients and the candles and lanterns, they would have to be shopped for tomorrow.
It was barely half an hour after we had got cleaning that the bird that had made itself comfortable in my house graced us with its presence in the café as well. It sat on the backrest of one of the chairs and cooed, its eyes following me while I worked.
"Well, what's this bird doing here?" Arran asked, eying the bird curiously.
"I don't know – it was in my house when I woke up this morning and no attempt to make it leave has worked. It's kind of odd that a phoenix would be here and be friendly with humans," I answered.
"Phoenix? What's a phoenix?"
"Isn't that bird a phoenix?" I asked. Surely it looked like one but perhaps it was called something else here.
"I've never heard of that name. Although, the bird looks oddly familiar...I can't quite put my finger on it though."
"Maybe it lives around here and you've seen it before."
"Nah, it's not that. We don't have any more than sparrows and small weaver birds in the vicinity – this is the first time I've seen this bird." Arran's words had me raising a brow.
"If you haven't seen it before, how is it familiar?" I mused.
He merely shrugged and I shook my head before continuing the cleaning. It wasn't as strenuous as yesterday thanks to the extra helping hands – being men, Arran and Lyle were efficient and quicker than me in scrubbing stains off of surfaces and reaching the higher places that needed to be cleaned. They were enthusiastic the whole time, in fact seemed to enjoy cleaning more than they should have. It was amusing but I was immensely grateful to receive so much help.
We had sat together for lunch, though Lyle had sat on the floor in the corner of the café. I had thought of asking him to join us at the table but I didn't in worry that Arran may find it as something wrong even though he did seem rather comfortable with Lyle being around us. We also fed some crackers to the bird that remained in the café, flying here and there but refusing to leave. In fact, it seemed to always linger close to me.
It was just a little after the afternoon that we were ready to add the necessary extra décor to turn the café into an aesthetically appealing cooking and dining space. Arran suggested that we drop in to Rose's warehouse to pick out the candles and lanterns since we had time to spare and I agreed. I thanked Lyle for his help, once again receiving a warm smile in return, before he returned to the bakery. Arran waited patiently for me to lock up the café and join him outside so we could go to the warehouse.
We had barely taken a few steps when we heard some commotion a little away from where we were. Glancing once at each other, we stepped to the entrance of the town where several others had gathered and were looking into the distance. Following their gazes, Arran and I spotted a group of people heading towards the town – there were several men on horses who appeared to be knights, Zero knights, while there was a horse-pulled palanquin between them followed by a small carriage. The knights held up white flags with the Povalion Kingdom's insignia on them.
"What are they doing here? It's odd that they're coming to this small town," Mr. Otwin mumbled whilst gazing at the approaching group.
"Who are they?" I asked as Arran and I came to stand next to him.
"I thought you'd recognize their flags," he spoke, glancing at me once before looking back ahead. "They're from the Holy Temple near the capital. I have no idea why they would be coming here though, since they've never bothered to before. Besides, it's pretty much unheard of for any from the Holy Temple to travel to anywhere outside, knights or healers."
"That's true," agreed Arran in a mumble. "Well, since they're coming here, shouldn't we all make way and welcome them?"
"Aye, we should," spoke Mr. Farald, Ms. Elva's husband.
We made way for the group to enter by standing close to the walls of the buildings, leaving the street clear for them. Everyone assumed that they would merely pass through the town, since they surely had better places to be instead of here, but one of the knights rode ahead of them and entered the town first. Just as he came to a stop, his horse neighed and raised itself on its hind legs a moment before it settled. It was followed by a call from the bird that had been hanging around at my café all day as it flew to where we were and settled on my shoulder despite a mildly startled flinch from me.
The knight eyed me a moment, though I couldn't quite grasp the meaning behind his stare, then announced, "Everyone gather! Welcome His Holiness Rafaelle Aristeo and bow to seek his blessings!"
Several who were gathered gasped while others who had heard the announcement came running to the streets. Everyone fell to their knees and continued to wait eagerly for the palanquin to enter the streets, their hands in prayer form.
"His Holiness? The High Priest is here?" Ms. Hulda spoke from next to me before she tugged me to get on my knees as well. "Amzell has been blessed! For the High Priest to visit this small town – oh dear, what a grand thing to happen! His coming here will bring good fortune to us all, and perhaps we won't be such a poor town anymore!"
"When you say High Priest, you're speaking about the man with the strongest healing mana, right?" I clarified.
"That's right!" answered Arran instead. "He's known to show himself only in the presence of the king to bless him for his birthday, but he does occasionally allow for private visitors in the Holy Temple. No one has ever seen him properly though, as I've heard, and the lower healers tend to the ill and wounded of the kingdom under his guidance and orders. It's more than surprising that His Holiness is actually coming to Amzell!"
"Bow!" the knight said loudly when the palanquin entered the street and all were quick to bow with their foreheads touching the ground. I followed suit and remained silent as the sound of horses and wheels got closer and closer.
Much to the surprise of not just me but all the townspeople, they stopped in the middle of the street. It was a moment before we heard shuffling and the click of a door lock. An immensely powerful presence could be felt just feet away from where I was kneeling, though it was warm and soothing and rejuvenating.
"His Holiness Rafaelle Aristeo!" the knight announced.
Murmuring, everyone looked up and so did I, only to see a tall, lean man from whom I could feel the powerful vibes radiate. He was beautiful, or perhaps that was an understatement, with long, silky, pale pink hair, ruby eyes, and several delicate jewelry adorning his hair, forehead and ears. He was pale skinned and had a soft smile playing on his lips as he looked over the townspeople with such adoration. He wore pure white robes and simple beige slip-on shoes.
Lifting both hands, he summoned a sort of glittering light in his palms that then floated up into the sky. They burst into smaller glitters and fell upon all of us – it was a blessing, and all the tiredness from all the work I had done all morning with Arran and Lyle seemed to fade away. Any ache from the two days of intense cleaning disappeared, all was healed, and I felt even more full of life than ever before. This feeling of receiving healing mana was an amazing experience, for more reasons than one since this was the first time actually witnessing someone using mana. I hadn't expected to see such a sight in just a few days of coming to this world, especially not in this small town where mana seemed extinct.
The other townspeople were overjoyed to have received a blessing and thanked the High Priest profusely, once again letting their foreheads touch the ground. His smile widened slightly at that before he looked to me specifically. It made me tense and I averted my eyes immediately, lowering my head as well.
The bird that sat upon my shoulders took flight and I gazed at it in curiosity of where it was going. It had flown to the High Priest and sat upon his forearm whilst cooing as it received gentle caresses to its breast. There was something almost ethereal about the sight of the High Priest and the bird together, as they seemed encased in a sort of glowing aura.
He handed the bird to a girl who approached him and regarded him with a respectful bow. She too was dressed in white robes and I assumed that she was a healer too, one who served at the Holy Temple, and perhaps one of the seniors who served the High Priest.
With the bird taken away, the High Priest looked at me again with a smile that seemed to have so much adoration that it made my heart skip a beat. I felt a little awkward as well, as it had been many years since I had seen a look like that directed towards me, and I averted my eyes again. I barely heard the High Priest approach and I tensed when his shoes came into view merely a foot in front of me.
"Rise, my child," he spoke in a melodic voice. Swallowing thickly, I looked up at him – I was right in thinking that he was speaking to me.
He did not seem to think anything of my lack of response and only held out his hand for me to take. His hand was as pale as his face and his fingers were long and feminine. I hesitated a moment but placed my hand in his so he could help me stand. His hold was firm yet gentle, his hand soft and tender, and the warmth of the mana he possessed could be felt in this soft touch. He was quite tall, as I had observed from the distance, and stood nearly a head taller than me just as the knights who stood around him to guard him.
"Is there somewhere where we may speak alone?" he asked gently.
"O-oh, um, yes, we can speak in the café below my house," I stuttered, flustered that I had been staring for far too long. I met Arran's wide-eyed gaze a moment and shrugged at his questioning look before looking back at the High Priest.
"Come," the High Priest ushered and we walked back to my café with him holding my hand the entire while. He motioned for his knights to remain outside while the two of us stepped into the café. He closed the doors behind him and faced me calmly.
"Um, please sit down, Your Holiness. I'm sorry that this isn't a very clean or well-furnished place – I was just working on making it good," I chattered in my awkwardness. "Ah, would you like something to eat or drink? Maybe some tea, or milk or-"
"Be at ease, my child," he interrupted, having figured out my mild nervousness.
"A-ah, yes, I'm sorry, I'm talking a lot, aren't I?" I replied, fiddling with a few strands of my hair that cascaded over my shoulder.
A musical laugh escaped his lips before he ushered me to take a seat along with him. Still incredibly awkward and remaining mildly apprehensive of the situation, I sat down and waited for the High Priest to speak.
"Do you have any idea as to why I am here and why I wish to speak to you?" he spoke, gazing at me tenderly.
"I'm afraid I don't, Your Holiness," I answered, my voice soft. I was a little worried that I had done something wrong, that the real Alysa had done something wrong and this man was here to talk to her about it. However, his next words surprised me.
"I suppose it is no surprise that you are unaware of the mana you possess."
"I have mana? That can't be...I'm just a normal girl. I mean, there's nothing that's ever been special about me before and there surely can't be anything special now."
"But you are special, and it is only because of that, that Adlai came to you," he said. "It has been many centuries since a Holy Bird has left the temple upon sensing a healing mana of such strength."
[A/n: Adlai is pronounced as Ad-Lay and means 'God is Just']
Surely he was speaking of the white phoenix that had been hanging around my house and café today, the one that had flown to him when he arrived in the town. I suppose the bird did appear special but I hadn't for even a moment expected it to be something that would reveal a fact so...unexpected. It was all the more surprising because I hadn't felt any different about myself since I came here.
"But, Your Holiness, this all just seems so fantasy-like," I said, mentally cringing at how silly my words sounded when my very situation was fantasy-like to begin with.
There was a hint of sympathy as he looked over me a moment. I flinched when he placed a hand on mine that was on the table, and the warmth the emanated from his hand soothed the jitteriness in me. Exhaling deeply, I let my body relax as well. I tensed again though, at the question the High Priest asked next.
"You are not of this world, are you, child?"
"Y-Your Holiness, that-" I stuttered before pursing my lips and staring at the wood grains of the table. I was certain that there was no point in hiding the truth for I felt any lie would be seen through easily. This is what I had feared when I turned up in this world, and my fear had turned to reality. "Your Holiness, how did you know?"
"The Great Lord oftentimes gives his messengers a few surprises – your appearance here was one of them that I was made aware of." I met his gaze when he spoke. His smile widened slightly as he continued, "Nothing in this world happens without His will, my child. Your coming here too was His will, and for a very important reason surely."
"What is the reason?"
"I'm afraid I do not know the answer to that question. Only time will reveal the answer. Sometimes, it is best to accept life's little surprises with an open heart," he answered. "Now, tell me, child, will you come with me to the Holy Temple or do you wish to remain here?"
We were enveloped in silence after his question while I thought of what I wanted to do. I had only heard that most healers went to the Holy Temple to train to control their mana and serve those in the capital – and it seemed apt that I went there because His Holiness had said that I had rather powerful mana. But in the mere three days I had been in this world, I felt rather attached to Amzell and the people I had befriended. Along with that was the fact that I was looking forward to setting up this café, to have my own space for the first time in my life. Serving in the temple would strip me of freedom, force me to work under the hands of another as I had been doing all my life.
Surely it didn't matter if I learnt how to use healing mana or not. After all, the temple probably had many healers already. The addition of one person wouldn't really make much of a difference, would it?
"I...I want to stay here," I spoke hesitantly. "May I?"
"Of course, child, you should do what you wish to do." His Holiness reached out to place his hand on my head this time and I cringed, but it only made him laugh musically. He added, "You must stay where your heart wishes for you to stay, for it is through your heart that your destiny will reveal itself to you. This is not usually a method we use but I can make an exception with you."
Merely mentioning the word destiny made me feel burdened. I had never given much thought on words like destiny and fate before because they sounded farfetched and mildly overwhelming. I mean, I did believe that our futures were already decided and written out to some extent but thinking only on those lines oftentimes made me feel like there was nothing in my life that I had in my control. It made me feel almost helpless.
"Allow me to awaken your healing mana," His Holiness said. He did not give me the chance to respond as he closed his eyes and his entire body was enveloped in an ethereal glow. I tensed at the warmth that rose throughout my body beginning from where he was touching me on the head. Strange sensations spread through my body, a sort of tingling and fuzziness.
It settled in a few minutes and His Holiness opened his eyes while retracting his hand. I didn't feel any different than before so I gazed at him questioningly.
Smiling kindly yet again, he said, "I have awakened your ability to use healing mana. Most healers train for a minimum of six months to master healing but I have made an exception with you – it is the Great Lord's wish, after all."
"So, I can heal people now?" I clarified.
"Yes, with the mere wish and thought when required," came the answer. A strange emotion came to his eyes after that and he reached out to cup my cheek as a parent would, and said, "Follow your heart, Alysa, and no matter the obstacles ahead, you will find the happiness that you deserve."
His words filled me with curiosity and mild apprehension, the latter because I assumed that he knew about something that would happen in my future. I couldn't ask him about it though, because he rose fluidly and stepped out of the café immediately. I followed suit and watched as those gathered outside bowed to him deeply and whispered whilst glancing at me in curiosity of what the High Priest could have had to speak with me.
Their curiosity was answered when His Holiness told them of my healing mana, that they had been blessed with a strong healer of their own. They were all happy, grateful even, while Arran was also surprised and curious.
It was quite a commotion while the group from the Holy Temple left after a few blessings to those who requested them, following which many came to speak to me and ask me why I had not told them that I had healing mana. I had answered honestly, saying that I was not aware of it myself until today.
The townspeople were happy, nonetheless, glad that they had their own healer now. A few even suggested that I used the space I had as an infirmary instead of a café – I suppose it was an appropriate thought but I did not want to make it into only an infirmary. After all, this town was small and wouldn't need too big of an infirmary. It occurred to me that I could use part of the extra storeroom as a place to treat anyone who needed a healing session...if I really did know how to heal now because of the High Priest's magic, that is.
I was more overwhelmed than exhausted when everyone finally left me alone – well, everyone except Arran.
"Well, this is definitely the most action Amzell has seen in years," he said, looking down at me with a cheery smile. "It's great that you have healing mana, Lisa!"
"I guess," I mumbled. "I don't really know how it's going to help, especially to the extent the High Priest thinks it will."
"What did he say?"
"Something about destiny and overcoming obstacles...it has me feeling a little uneasy, actually."
"Don't worry too much about it," he said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Just do what you want to do, what you've planned to do and I'm sure everything will be fine. Besides, what could possibly happen in this half-dozing town besides a slow, comfortable life?"
His words held truth in them. Amzell was a small town on the very outskirts of the Povalian Kingdom with nothing special about it – not in the people or in any trade. Just because I had healing mana now, it would not change the slow life of Amzell any more than the people coming to me when they needed to feel better. I was overthinking a matter than didn't need to be.
Perhaps it would make more sense if I was thinking of how lucky I was to not have any other type of mana and end up as a Zero hated by all and forced into a life of slavery like I had witnessed.
"You're right," I answered to Arran, giving him a relaxed smile now. "I'm just overthinking because of the sudden revelation."
"That's the spirit!" he chimed. "Well, it's late so I guess we can't go to see the lanterns at Rose's workshop today. I'll pick you up early tomorrow so we can get the café set up by the end of the day. I'm actually looking forward to how it'll turn out! And, I have to confess, I want to taste your cooking since you say you're good at it."
I felt mildly awkward under his complimenting. My smile widening slightly, I pushed some strands of my hair behind my ear and shifted on my feet. "I'm really thankful for your help, Arran, and for your enthusiasm. It's been helpful, a lot, since I was quite a bit ruffled at how things suddenly changed."
Of course, Arran did not know just how my life had changed. Being a baron's daughter living in this world and being exiled to Amzell would have been a lot easier than transmigrating into the very life of another and into a world that was so different from my own. I had lost all the people I knew all my life in a moment, forced to take up the identity of another immediately and start all over again in almost everything. Though I was not the type to become close to strangers easily, Arran had barged into my life like he had known me for years and offered so much help and moral support that I couldn't help but accept in near desperation.
Though there was still a long way to go in terms of our friendship, I had a feeling that he would be one I would become close to easily against all odds.
"There's no need to thank me for something so silly," he said with a laugh. "I just did what anyone would have done."
"Still, thank you," I repeated, "and, yes, let's go to Rose's workshop tomorrow. I'll be ready by eight, if that's fine."
"Perfect! I'll see you in the morning then. Good night, then."
With a wave, he left. A content smile lingered on my lips as I watched him until he was out of sight. Then inhaling deeply, I held up both my hands fisted, mentally cheering on for myself. This was my second chance at life, a chance to live much more freely than before despite the scars of everything that had happened. And I was looking forward to bringing my café to life.
With a nod in approval of my determination, I headed home after locking up the café.
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Yay! Alysa has healing mana! It's certainly going to be helpful to many but it seems the High Priest [isn't he so beautiful?] has indicated that it will reveal something much greater than a simple life in Amzell. Nonetheless, Alysa is looking at the bright side of things for now and is ready to open up her cafe!
Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
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