I stood in front of the bright, illuminated wooden stall. Its design gave off a similar ambiance to a wooden lodge, with lights and small chandeliers hanging from the roof, and small glowing crystals poking out at the corners. "Bright Bows," the stall's hanging sign read in glowing text. Inside the stall was a counter, similar to the desk that Pedro has in his shop, only a lot bigger. I looked over the counter, but there seemed to be nobody there.
"Why, hello there!" A man had suddenly jumped up out of nowhere. He looked almost identical to Pedro, except less hairy and more clothed.
"AHH!" I screamed, frightened.
The man gave me a sorry grin as I jumped back, clinging onto Theo. "Whoops! Did I scare you? Sorry about that!" I stared at him weirdly as I loosened my hands off of Theo. Why the hell—
"Welcome to Bright Bows, where we string your dreams, one bow at a time!" The man interrupted, blocking out my thoughts with his raspy words. "Is there anything that I could help you with?"
I restarted, clearing my throat to ask a proper question. "Umm... hello. Do you happen to be, Hauke? Hauke Raptis?"
"That's me!" The man seemed to have a very happy and lively character.
"Oh... ummm... perfect! A man named Pedro, Pedro Samaras, he told us that you are the best bowyer in all of Fysei. Is that correct?"
"Ah, Pedro, you say?" he raised his eyebrow. "Well, I don't like to brag, but yes. People do say that I'm the best bowyer in the Nation of Life.
Great! I am looking for a—" I stopped. Should I be doing this? Am I even worthy enough to buy a bow of my own right now? I looked at Theo and he nodded, sending me a look of assurance. I restarted, "I am looking for a bow to use in battle. I was hoping I could take a look at some of your wares if you don't mind."
"Looking to become a fighter?" Hauke exclaimed to me with a smile.
"Well, I guess you could say that I'm... trying something new," I said with a genuine smile.
Hauke grinned back. "That's always great! Let me pick out a few bows that I think you might like. Hmm... you seem like a... Bloomer."
He crouched back down again, so swift it seemed as if he vanished. I looked over the counter. Nobody. Where the hell—
"AHH!" I jumped, clinging back onto Theo again. Hauke popped back up out of nowhere, almost as if he just magically appeared. He had scared me once again. "Don't do that!" I rebuked.
"Sorry, sorry!" he grinned apologetically like before. "I just love to welcome my customers in my own unique way. Sometimes that involves appearing out of nowhere."
Was this guy serious? How is this man the number one bowyer in Fysei? He's so... immature.
I let go of Theo, still angry at the man for playing games with me.
"Anyways, what did you say your name was again?"
"Vincent Chaixius," I answered in a mildly irate tone.
"Well, Vincent, there are two things to know about bows," Hauke informed me. "Keep these two things in mind when you're in battle."
I sighed, brushing off the suppressive thoughts. "Understood."
"Unlike other bowyers and mentors who just teach positioning and aim, I like to teach my new customers about elemental practice," he explained. "First, you have to understand that there are two categories of bows: basic bows," he slammed a simple, small, brown bow on the counter, "and battle bows," he slammed a larger and more intricate green bow that looked fairly similar to Theo's.
I nodded. Basic bows and battle bows. Easy enough.
"The difference between the two is that battle bows are used for professional combat fighting, while basic bows are used essentially for practicing, training, and sometimes just for basic defense against small monstra."
"Monstra?" I questioned.
He looked at me weirdly as I said that, probably judging me for not knowing the term. "Basically monsters."
"Ohh."
"Anyways, let's get to the two things. Number one: almost every bow boosts a specific element. This bow here is the Tychia, a rare weapon crafted by the bowyers of Fysei. It's meant to boost the element of Natura."
I understood and nodded my head. So far this is pretty simple. Element boosts, just like in those RPG games you used to play.
"Number two: most battle bows are made out of a specific ore. The energy from the ores, which we call Rupicae, allows the bow to connect with the elements around it, leading to Synergies."
"What are synergies?"
There's a whole lot of foreign terms in this world. I realized.
"Synergies happen when two or more elements react with one another in battle."
"Saying that there are ten elements, there must be a variety of synergies then," I commented.
"Your guess is correct, my friend! More than 55 unique synergies exist in Xynoia."
FIFTY-FIVE!? "Wow!" I exclaimed in surprise.
"Yeah! Trust me, I know! That was my exact reaction when I first learned about it."
Xynoia was WAY more complicated than Earth. All of these different reactions and techniques and ceremonies and stories. Everything has a meaning!
Yet, it still manages to amaze me.
"The Tychia is crafted using a rare ore that is local to Fysei, known as the Verdant Emerald. Not only can this ore boost the element of Natura, but it also has the power to heal allies. Glowing ores will typically have these kinds of special effects."
"That sounds helpful," I commented.
"This information doesn't just apply to bows. It applies to every other weapon as well," he informed. "But, yeah! That's the basics." Basics? "And, just checking, you know how to use a bow right? You don't need me to teach you?"
"...Yes..." I hesitated. "I believe I got the hang of it." I couldn't even pay attention to my words. My mind was too caught up in trying to recall what Hauke had said, and my eyes were too distracted by the pristine, green bow. "Can I just get the bow already?" I slipped impatiently as my hand tried to grab it.
"Not so fast!" he interjected. "The Tychia is far too advanced for someone of your level. Using it could overwhelm your veins!"
He slid the green bow under the counter and brought the basic bow next to it into view. It had a basic wooden shape, with a green grip that embraced the nature of the underground world around it. "I would recommend getting Nature's Basic Bow. It has similar effects to the Tychia, but it isn't made out of any special ores. Just Arcane Wood."
I grew upset as I was on the verge of whining. However, my gut overtook my mind. It was probably for the best, saying that I was just a beginner.
"Fine," I forced out. "If it is for the best, I will get Nature's Basic Bow."
"Great! That'll be 500 Arcoins."
There it was. Money: The one thing that I didn't have. How am I going to get the bow now?
"Don't worry. I'll be paying for him."
Theo had stepped in to pay for me. A sense of gratitude flooded my mind. It definitely showed on my face with my pink cheeks. "T-thank you, Theo," I stuttered.
"Mr. Doukas! A pleasure to see you again, sir. How is the Serenithra holding up?"
Theo pulled out a small green checkbook from the pocket of his vest. "It's holding up quite well, thank you for asking." He signed and tore out one of the checks and handed it to Hauke.
"Thank you, sir," he said as he grabbed the check.
I seized the wooden bow on the table. I suddenly felt a familiar surge of energy. But it was not like before. I felt it only in my hands. In my veins. It also didn't feel like a surge of adrenaline, similar to those I've felt before. It felt more like a surge of vitality.
Life.
"Why don't you test it out?" Hauke suggested,
I stood reluctant. He wanted me to use the bow? Right here? Right now?
"Are you sure?" I queried.
"Absolutely. Let's see how good you are for a rookie." He smirked as he tossed a green arrow at me. My hands trembled and my face grew red as I tried to catch it.
I shook my head and slowly loaded the wooden bow. Reluctantly, my hands wavered, shaking the weapon in my hands. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm down. The voices in my head were silenced. I opened my eyes again and I saw something completely different.
A completely white void. The only thing in front of me was a target.
Hit the bullseye.
I pulled back on the bow's string as far as possible. In one movement, I released. Released my fears. Released my envy. The bow was sent flying toward the target. Suddenly, hundreds of tinier green arrows surrounded and followed the path of the original. I watched as it swiftly inched closer and closer to the center, eliminating the white void around it.
"Bullseye!"
I was summoned back to the natural world of Xynoia, the bright shop surrounding me. The arrow had hit the very center of a small target on Hauke's counter.
I did it. I hit the bullseye.
"A natural, I see!" Hauke exclaimed. "And my intuition was right! You are a Bloomer."
Bloomer?
"But, I don't have a Xylen," I told him.
His face winced in confusion. "Impossible. I coulda' sworn you just resonated with Natura."
He rolled up one of his sleeves, revealing a yellow Xyband. He tapped on the screen and another image of an ID card appeared. Only this time, it was above me.
Vincent Chaixius. Age: 19. Birthdate: June 21st. Ethnicity: Asian-American ...
Blood Type: Wayfarer + Sibyl
I heard the sounds of audible gasps from both Theo and Hauke as they looked at my XyD card. "Holy Aelios..."
"What?" I questioned, confused.
"Y-you're... one of the three Sibyls..."