Chapter Text
A bird flew across the trees, carrying a worm in its beak. It reached a nest where its partner and their three babies were. The babies eagerly cried out for the food, which the father happily obliged to provide: He separated the worm into equal portions for its children. The babies eagerly dug into the food, their beaks gobbling up every piece of flesh that was given to them.
While the birds were feeding, a silver-haired girl looked up at them from below.
For a few days now, she had been visiting the nest to watch the happy family. Her sparkling amethyst eyes happily watched the family live their lives.
She turned away to continue walking through the forest, enjoying the natural scenery.
The chirps of insects could be heard, providing a calming feeling to the girl.
While her mother wouldn't have normally let her wander the forest alone, they had a special guest visiting. They decided that as long as she stayed in the forest, it would be fine.
"I wonder who's visiting?" The silver-haired girl pondered to herself.
She jumped down to a lower area, "Could it be Geuse?" She gasped as a sudden thought came to her, "Maybe he's going to move in with us!" Geuse was one of her favorite people to talk to. He was always so happy whenever he talked to her and Mother Fortuna. She did wonder about the "special faces" Mother Fortuna often made at Geuse.
She quickly deflated once she realized something, "Wait...no he wouldn't do that so suddenly."
She sighed and sat down on the road, not caring about the dirt she would get on her clothes. She could just wash them later. "I really wish something would happen."
She got her wish. Right after the words left her mouth, the area in front of her began to distort and warp. The surrounding grass disappeared, and the air itself began to be sucked inside the distortion.
"Wu-Wha?!?" Jumping up and moving back in alarm, the silver-haired girl searched frantically for something to use as a weapon. She picked up a big stick and held it out in front.
The area continued to warp and distort with it increasing in intensity. Eventually, a giant purple portal flashed into existence.
The suddenness of the portal had the silver-haired girl jolt backward. In the process, she fell down with a yelp.
"H-Hello?" The girl called from her place on the ground. "Please don't suck me in?"
She could only stare as something flew out of the portal.
The object landed on some bushes nearby. It didn't seem to be moving.
Emilia slowly got off the ground and tentatively walked toward the object. Upon closer look, she saw that it was a person with long black hair. They had many cuts on them and had mud on their clothes. Emilia could hear a very quiet breath coming from them.
It was quite rare for someone in Luginica to have black hair. Many of the other people Emilia knew of had hair ranging in many different colors. Blue, red, yellow, silver, orange, purple...this was the first time she saw someone with black hair. She wondered if-
The person started to cough out in agony. They rolled off the bush and fell to the ground. Upon impact, the person stopped coughing and breathed much more loudly. Her breath was also noticeably quicker with her chest visibly rising and falling with every inhale and exhale.
Emilia immediately rushed forward. "Are you alright?" When she laid a hand on the person, she found that they were soaked in water. Their body was freezing. Since it wasn't raining here, then the only place this person could've come from was-!
The person breathed shallowly. Emilia tried to carry them but quickly gave up. The person was too heavy to lift up.
She jumped up and started running to find help.
"Mother Fortuna!" Emilia yelled out in a panic. "Someone needs help!"
She burst out of the forest and into her home. Upon entering, she saw her mother talking with a dark-blue-haired teenager. The two occupants turned to see her panting.
"Emilia?" Mother Fortuna looked puzzled and worried as she stood up, "Did something happen? Are you alright?"
"S-Someone-" Emilia panted from the exertion of running, "-someone came out of a portal!" The eyes of both occupants widened in shock. The blue-haired teenager let out a tiny gasp. "They're just lying on the ground! They were freezing!"
Fortuna jumped up. "Where?" She said.
"I can show you. Please let's hurry!"
Fortuna turned to the blue-haired teenager, "Roswall, can you come with us?"
"Yes." Roswall said. He turned to Emilia, "I think it's best that we hurry."
Emilia rushed out with the two following her. She ran back into the forest but quickly stopped in her tracks. She forgot the location of the portal.
Realizing Emilia's distress, Roswall flew up to get a better view. Emilia momentarily forgot her panic to stare in awe.
She quickly shook herself from her imagination as Roswall flew back down.
"The portal is that way." Roswall pointed to his right. "We need to hurry.
Emilia felt herself being picked up. With a yelp, she saw her surroundings blur from the speed Mother Fortuna was going.
Within fifteen seconds, they reached the portal. The person was still breathing shallowly.
Emilia saw with horror that they were breathing slower.
Mother Fortuna quickly set Emilia down and ran over to inspect the person. "A fever..." She put her hands on the person's body and slowly raised their temperature. They unconsciously sighed in relief and began to breathe more deeply.
"A fever." Mother Fortuna said as she picked up the person. "We need to get her back."
"Very well." Roswall looked at the portal with caution. "I'll stay here if anyone or anything else comes in."
Mother Fortuna nodded before picking up Emilia and running.
When Mother Fortuna returned to their home, she put Emilia and began taking off the person's wet clothes. She lighted a fire in the fireplace, wrapped the person up in blankets, set them by the fire, and got some medicine.
"Emilia, help me hold her up." Mother Fortuna said. "She needs to be upright when she takes in the fever medicine."
"Her?" Emilia asked. Taking a closer look, she saw the person's face and realized that it was a girl. She shook herself free from her thoughts and placed her hands underneath the person's upper body.
After Mother Fortuna made the young girl swallow the medicine, she moved her to a vacant bed.
"Rest now." She said to the sleeping girl.
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I needed to run. I needed to run. I need to run.
I sprinted as fast as I could through the freezing rain. My lungs were threatening to burst out from my chest. I didn't dare slow down.
At the worst possible time, I tripped. Whatever air remained in my lungs quickly exited as I was left desperately trying to breathe. With no other option, I began to drag myself across the dirt.
Just as I heard something appear behind me, my world went black.
I opened my eyes to see a circular roof. I heard someone move.
I turned around to see what appeared to be a silver-haired elf. She looked to be around five, the same age as me. She had a look of shock on her face.
My breath quickly grew shallow as I realized, people found me!
I started to thrash around but the blankets wrapped around me were too difficult to break free.
The silver-haired girl's eyes widened and she ran out. "Mother Fortuna! Roswall!"
I kept thrashing around. I managed to untangle myself halfway before the girl returned with someone. The person was a female adult who had silver hair like the girl. She was presumably "Mother Fortuna".
The girl's mother whispered to me in a strange language as she placed her hands on my shoulders. I thrashed myself away from her and hit the wall behind me. I didn't want anyone touching me.
Unable to stay conscious from the adrenaline, I fainted.