"I've been expecting you," She finally speaks up addressing me and me only. There's an underlying accent in her voice that I can't make out but it's heavy. The woman doesn't bat an eye in the direction of the two men behind me, solely focused on me. When she sees that I'm not responding she speaks up again in that beautiful accent. "You don't know me, but I've heard lots about you."
"I'm sorry, but, who exactly are you?" I feel slightly intimidated by her, slowly backing up to get closer to the guys. She's able to control her expression perfectly, I can't tell what it is she's thinking.
"My name is Uhreia, I am the botanist of this shop. You are Sun-Mi, no?" I open my mouth to ask how she knew when she begins to yell in that familiar language once again. "E koed k'smod duvm, Boream, sraka ora uir siaks'k! Excuse Boream, he gets excited when guests come in. We don't get too many. Especially not like you." She laughs self-consciously, making her seem more real, more human. I replay her first words in my head once again and somehow I can vaguely understand what she was saying.
"Uh, may I ask who Boream is exactly?" Yunho speaks up from behind me sounding a little bit worriedly. The woman blinks blankly before responding.
"Oh, yes! Where are my manners!?" she chatters motioning to something behind us to come forward. "Cuka koae re, Boream." Not long after, I hear a rustling sound behind me followed by heavy shaking of the grass underneath me. I spin around with the other two men to see who she was talking about when I'm faced with a giant tree that has seemed to come to life. It maneuvers itself so that it faces me, stooping over in these cramped quarters and extending a branch to me. I take it in awe, admiring the lively tree as it seems to shake giddily when I take it's leaf covered branch. "He seems to like you!" Uhreia giggles stepping forward to pat the giant tree. At this point Mingi has passed out at the sight of the perennial plant. Uhreia catches sight of him and looks with a bit of pity. "Isn't he supposed to be the tough one in your group? He looked quite intimidating earlier." Yunho and I look at each other and sigh.
"Looks can be deceiving," The brunette answers her question, turning to pick up Mingi's limp body. I turn back to see the woman chastising the tree in that special language. The tree has connected two of its branches almost looking like it's clasping its hands together in an apology. I'm wrapped up too deep into their interaction when I feel my tongue prickle again. I try to ask Uhreia about the tree but when I open my mouth to speak, the prickling sensation increases as I speak each syllable. Yunho, Uhreia, and even Boream seem to stiffen in shock when they hear me speak. Yunho looks terrified but Uhreia looks at me with wonder.
"Uhrrrrrreiaaaaa! She can speak ourrr tongue!" A unique voice speaks up, rolling their r's especially hard. I look around, bewildered at the sound, realizing it is the tree that's speaking to me.
"T-The tree can talk!" I stutter in surprise. Uhreia laughs meanwhile Yunho opens and closes his mouth with no sound coming out except for a strangled noise.
"You literally just spoke in a WHOLE other language like nothing and you're surprised about a talking tree!" He asks unbelievingly, only switching his attention when Mingi groans awake.
"I can what now!"
"Sun-Mi, calm down, Take a deep breath," I do as Uhreia commands as she sets a hand on my shoulder, "Good. Now, tell me, were you not aware of what you said just now?" I shake my head frantically, afraid to speak again. She nods biting her lower lips as she thinks of what to do next. She speaks again in that special tongue and this time I can understand her perfectly. "Borream, Attend our guests. Don't let them come to the back and give that one they call Mingi some lavender and lemon balm tea," she commands, "Oh, and get the girl everything that's on her list!" She adds ripping out the list I've made for the items I need out of the pocket of my pants and throwing it at Boream. Boream struggles to catch the paper and hastily bows to both of us as she pulls me away into the back of the shop where she emerged from. Yunho and Mingi yell at me in confusion, but I am in no better state as Uhreia slams the door shut, sitting down adjacent to me at the low table in the room. I'm forced to sit criss-cross applesauce in order to fit at the table because of its height. She chats with some tiny and faceless plant creatures that have come to life at her command, ordering them to bring some drinks. "Speak to me." She orders turning to me with a stern expression.
"W-What do I say?" I ask, my voice almost catching in my throat. I look down at the table to see some ants crawling in a tiny group, working together to push a small plate of sugar cubes towards me. The same odd plant creatures from before make their way over, struggling to carry two cups of tea and set them down before Uhreia and I.
"No, no, no. I meant speak to me. In our language." I become hesitant and unsure of how to answer. I don't even know how I began speaking in that language. I think of what to say and try as hard as I can to translate it but it doesn't come to me. Instead I make a complete fool of myself and spit out gibberish. The worst thing is not even how bad I've embarrassed myself, but the look of stupidity Uhreia gives me. "Mmcht, What is that? That was nonsense! You're forcing your tongue too hard. Relax and let it flow." I nod taking in deep breaths to relax. I think about what I'm going to say and speak, this time in that dialect she's telling me to. Once again, that weird prickly feeling spreads across my tongue as I pronounce the words.
"Is this good?" Her eyes widen, a large smile curling the edges of her lips upwards revealing her stunningly white teeth.
"Fascinating," she breathes leaning in closer to study me. She smells like honey with a hint of chamomile at the end, a very herbal smell. "What do you feel when you speak?"
"M-My tongue feels... prickly. Like-- like when you drink cider and let it sit in your mouth." She tucks a loose strand of her curly brown hair behind her ear, taking a sip of her herbal tea.
"Do you even know the language your speaking?" I shake my head feeling a tinge of guilt. It doesn't feel right that all of a sudden I'm able to speak this random dialect without ever knowing what it was beforehand. I feel uneducated.
"Uhreia, What did you mean when you said our language?" She sets down her drink looking at me confused.
"Aish, Don't give me that. You can't just walk into my store, speak the tongue I've been learning all my life suddenly with those symbols on your wrist, and not know. You're clearly her." She tells me looking for a sign that I know what she's talking about as she skims over the writing on my wrist. She stops once she lays eyes on them briefly, but then goes back to speak to me. "You really don't know anything about yourself." I crease my brows, shaking my head honestly. Uhreia slowly sets my hand down, quickly standing up and opening some jars on the shelf behind her.
She brings out a large marble bowl and some jars containing who-knows-what. She opens them to reveal two different colored powders; one black and one white. Grabbing a fistful of both colors, She holds them in either and throws them into the bowl creating a large fog as the powders mix. The fog rises in the small room I'm in, unexpectedly taking the shape of a script. It has writing identical to that of my tattoo.
"A long time ago, the four nations we know used to be divided into six and they all spoke in one tongue called the Ajarik, also known as the language of the ancient ones. This language was said to have been gifted to us by the first enchantress to exist, the one who introduced magic to us all those centuries ago." I lean in closer to her as she changes the smoky paper with symbols into a sculpture of a beautiful woman with a delicate cloak wrapped around her. "That day she graced us with six different magic types, all controlled with this beautiful dialect. These different magic types are what defines each nation. When one would pass normal proficiency in their magic type, the enchantress would choose whoever she saw fit to represent their kingdom. These people made up the Cuimcer uk Ardark also known as the Council of elders. One would look up to these elders for advice and guidance, and these elders looked up to the enchantress for guidance."
"If the enchantress was such a highly profiled magic bearer, why did she help the Queen exterminate magic? I mean people would look up to her but she just betrayed them by exterminating magic." Uhreia gives me a hesitant look before conjuring up another image with the powder. This one depicts two women whose faces can't be discerned. They seem to be arguing about something.
"Magic, with its many positive sides, is... not always good. There is, in fact, a forbidden magic type, a 7th magic type." She pauses letting the scene with two new women unfold. It's an argument and it seems to get more intense by the second as one of the woman's eyes begin to glow brighter and brighter until she lifts a hand at the other. At the last second, the first woman's eyes turn pitch black and the second woman flies back, landing still and motionless... dead. "Over a century ago, the six magic nations fell into a time of mistrust and war. In all of that, a 7th magic type was discovered-- Cursed magic." When the first woman realizes what she's done she runs over to her friend who's being engulfed by a thick, inky-black substance much like the one in my dreams. As soon as the first woman reaches her deceased friend, she too begins to get covered in that weird, dark material.
"What is that?" I inquire a bit unsettled at how fast the black stuff has consumed both women.
"That is what cursed magic leaves behind, it is an essence. Every magic type has an essence that when used, it manifests into a certain colored energy. Cursed magic is a form derived from the evil deeply hidden within everyone. Emotions like fear, anger, jealousy, and hate fuel it making whoever wields it insanely powerful. Rumor has it, that a long time ago a wielder of this magic type challenged the enchantress... and won."
"Won? But how? I thought the enchantress was supposed to be the strongest magic wielder."
"Oh, don't get me wrong, enchantresses are forces to be reckoned with, but only when they reach their full potential. Unfortunately, this enchantress was challenged early on not having the chance to train properly. After she suffered a bitter defeat, she made a deal with the cursed-magic wielder to let her people live, so long as she exterminated the magic types they wielded. Since she 'exterminated' all other magic types, little by little our people lost their native language." Uhreia looks down dejectedly at her hands. "For years we thought we would never be able to regain our heritage, that was, until we started noticing people regain them. As time passed, we were soon delivered a message, a prophecy if you will, about a descendant of the enchantress leading an uprising against the Queen and freeing us all."
"Wait, wait, wait, You're telling me, that the reason we lost magic was because of this "battle". How come I've never read any of this in any history textbook? And who even was this oh-so powerful wielder that they were able to defeat the enchantress before Queen Lee stepped into power? A-And what even is this about a "prophecy" that will free magic bearers? This is fairytale material you can't seriously believe all of it." I probe deeper and deeper, seeing Uhreia's face falter for a moment. For a second there, I almost doubt her completely.
"Ah, yes. Most textbooks containing the truth about this have been altered or burned, although I know that Queen Lee is a descendant of this challenger. The woman you know now as Queen Lee is the 4th in her lineage. A century ago, her great grandmother, the first Queen Lee, was the one who challenged the enchantress. Queen Lee is a direct descendant, and by far the most adamant in keeping magic dead. The people of Illoriant, are the most strongest believers in this story, which is why our nation continues clashing with hers. If it were up to Queen Lee, I probably wouldn't be alive right now." I look at her emerald colored eyes for any sign of her making this all up but there isn't. She grabs my hands in hers, holding them up as she leans closer to me with large pleading eyes. "Sun-Mi, This might seem sudden and crazy, but I have reason to believe that you are... her, the descendant of the enchantress. I think-- No, I know you are the sole person that can finally claim back our heritage." I stare at her blankly almost as if I didn't hear what she just said. I retract my hands quickly and shoot up out of my chair when I hear this.
"Me? An Enchantress? That has got to be one of the most absurd things I've ever heard." I scoff, backing up slowly to get out of the room. "I'm not special. I'm just a simple runaway trying to find some normalcy in my life. Now, I've really enjoyed our little chat, but I think it's time that I leave." Giving her a forced smile I reach back to push open the door but when I do, I'm stopped by a soft hand clamping down on mine. With a force I wasn't quite expecting from her, Uhreia manages to pull me back and lift up my wrist revealing once more the mysterious symbols on it.
"Miss Hae Sun-Mi, I did not prepare for weeks after hearing about your escape from the castle just for you to deny the truth and scoff in my face. You either have to be completely stupid or ignorant to think that you are just a normal person. Look, LOOK at these characters! These are not merely some childish scribbles, these are characters from our ancient dialect. The same one YOU spoke to me." She gives me a fierce stare, having lost her patience. "The message our people received said a warrior with the ancient nations buried within her would arise and restore the throne. I've sent my plant creations to EVERY NATION and I can assure you that no one else has the characters of all six magic types on them like this. Sun-Mi, you can't deny that you're special."
"Special? Yeah, right. If I were so special then tell me why I grew up abused and mistreated by the freaking Queen. Tell me why I had to cry myself to sleep every night when I lived in the castle because of the realistic nightmares I would have. Tell me why I couldn't talk to a guy normally for a year before I could finally control my panic attacks. I'm not special. I'm just an unwanted pest the queen needs to get rid of." Her eyes soften when my voice cracks at the last syllable. Her grip on my wrist lessens and she delicately traces over the seal on my arm, looking at it with both joy and worry.
"I don't know the answers to these questions. There are things you might not understand yet, but in time it will be revealed to you. You're not just some pest. You're a warrior." I shake my head still not willing to believe this.
"And what if I decided to just not fight? To sit this one out. Do I still have a chance at living a normal life?" She smiles, stretching out a hand to lay on my cheek. I flinch at the contact and let myself settle into it little by little.
"I'm afraid our normal ended the second we lost magic." She studies my face, inspecting every inch of it, not letting anything out of her sight. "Don't be misled, Sun-Mi. Yui ora kaoms kur kura. You are meant for more. I know it." I don't answer, only giving her a faint smile. "Come, I think I've told you enough. You still need your herbs don't you?" She asks, leading me back out of the small room and into the shop. She claps her hands, grabbing the attention of Boream who seems to be in a bit of a pickle as Yunho and Mingi attempt to climb up it's trunk.
"Boream, Did you do everything I asked for?" Uhreia asks the tree. It shakes up and down almost as if mimicking a head nod, accidentally making Mingi fall off in the process. I cringe when he comes into contact with the floor letting out a loud whine. Yunho jumps off landing neatly next to Mingi who's sprawled on the floor.
"What was that for, Boream? I thought we were bros." Mingi speaks up, sounding a bit hurt. The tree frantically waves its branches, bowing down in an apology. Yunho snickers, stretching out a hand to help Mingi up. "Aw, it's ok bud. I know it wasn't your fault." Mingi accepts its apology patting it's trunk.
"Bud? I thought you were, you know, scared of the 'possessed' tree?" I ask thinking that I'd come out to see him passed out on the floor out of fright.
"Oh, Initially, I was totally freaked out--,"
"He passed out like 5 times," Yunho butts in earning a glare from Mingi.
"As I was saying, after these two had to force-feed me the tea I calmed down. Now, Boream and I are best friends." He states proudly, bear hugging the tree.
"I thought I was your best friend," Yunho whines, crossing his arms with a tiny little pout. Mingi sticks his tongue out to the jealous brunette who only gets even more jealous... over a tree. Uhreia nudges me leaning over to whisper in my ear.
"Are they always like this? "
"Sadly, yes." I admit. She stares at them a little longer, tilting her head to the side to get a good look at them. At this point, Yunho is struggling to rip his red-haired friend off of the tree who is clawing at it like a mad-man.
"The brunette is cute," Uhreia blurts out, stepping in to help out Yunho. I take this as a chance for me to look for the supplies I need when I hear my name being called.
"Sun-Mi, Boream says your supplies are by the door." I look over to the door to find a small paper bag sitting my the entrance. I make my way over to it and check it's contents. Everything is inside. I smile turning around to see Yunho and Uhreia finally rip Mingi off of poor Boream. Once I've gathered everything I need, I call out to Mingi and Yunho, who file in behind me like little ducks.
"Thank you very much, Uhreia." I bow to her respectfully. She nods opening the door for the three of us.
"No, Thank you for coming to see me. Be careful on your way back. I'll send some of my Promsk after you to make sure you return safely." She says ordering some of those odd plant creatures to come forward. I look at them curiously when something inside of me clicks.
"Wait, is that what you used to spy on me all this time?" Uhreia gives me a smug look, turning around to head back inside, not answering my question.
"It comes in handy when you can talk with plants and animals," She throws over her shoulder shutting the door once me and my other two crew mates are outside.
"She's a nature type," I mutter to myself in disbelief. I look back at Yunho and Mingi who are eyeing me warily, keeping a safe distance from me as if I'll explode any moment. I narrow my eyes at them, ready to beat them to a pulp for embarrassing me when I hear a little voice call out to me.
"Mistress, It would be smart if you moved from here. The Royal Navy seems to be catching onto your location," Oddly enough I can still understand everything it's telling me only, I can't seem to speak to it in it's language. I struggle for a moment trying to spit out what I need to say but nothing comes out. "It's ok if you don't have the hang of it yet, Mistress. This form of language is elusive, especially for beginners." I give it a warm smile and nod, redirecting my attention to the two men in front of me.
"We should get going. NOW."