Ené circled around the table, absorbing the magnificence of this royal chamber. Riné patiently allowed Ené a moment to adjust to her surroundings, watching her take a seat and quickly noticing Ené’s injured hand as she set it on the table. Ené gazed at the map as Riné gasped quietly.
“Oh my, you must take care of yourself!” Riné blurted. She swiftly walked over to Ené and grabbed her arm with a smooth motion. Riné began unraveling Ené’s wraps before she’d had a chance to react properly. Once Ené’s reflexes kicked in, her spine shuddered and she attempted to pull her hand away from Riné, who only tightened her grip. “Calm down, dear. I won’t hurt you.”
Ené gulped as she anticipated what Riné would try to do next. ‘Who knows what these creatures eat here, she could start sucking my blood for all I know!’ Ené worried to herself.
Well… slimes do drink blood, but not from living things! That’d be just plain rude…
Riné then held Ené’s palm steady, moving her hand over the injured area. As she waved her hand over Ené’s, a pink light emitted from her fingertips, connecting to her palm and sending out a vapor-like wave of magic. The magic wafted back and forth as Riné’s hand did, resembling the waves of the ocean. Ené stared, affixed to the miracle happening before her.
In but a moment, Ené’s hand was completely healed, with no trace of injury left. She pulled her hand back slowly, inspecting it for even the smallest scrape.
“H-how the-” stuttered from her lips, the girl unable to finish her sentence before Riné answered. “What, in your world, may have been fiction, here is reality. Your mind must be open to the possibilities, my dear.”
“You know...” Riné began. Ené shifted her gaze toward her. “I was given a message. One concerning you.”
Ené stared quietly.
“Our great creatress Henyoki appeared before me. She humbled me greatly as she regaled your tale. A humanoid being, brought from a world much unlike my own. One of marvelous technology and machines, without the comfort of magic, with many machines aiding in transport and housing. One as advanced as our own, built on an entirely different principle of life.”
Riné lied about what she was told from me, but I let it be. She could clearly not simply admit she had used magic when she met Ené to peek into her memories. Ené would surely lose all trust in Riné’s guardianship if she said such a thing. A violation of privacy, definitely.
“As I have learned about your world, so too should you learn about ours.”
Ené’s eyes shifted to the side. “I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”
“I surely will not force you,” Riné responded. “However, I cannot imagine it will be easy for you to live here if you are afraid of everything and everyone you see.”
Ené sighed, “Yeah... you’re right. I might feel better being informed.”
“Of course, m’lady. As you wish,” Riné responded.
Ené began to ask, “But how will you tea-” before being interrupted by Riné’s finger upon her forehead.
Riné spoke an utterance of magic, “Kee Riovun neokerua eike ouar nir,” which translates to: “Let Rivemm’s knowledge fill your mind”.
As the knowledge seeped into Ené’s mind, she sat upright and took a deep breath.
“Well,” she started, “I was right. Knowing all of this… really does erase my uneasiness. I don’t feel like curling in a ball and crying anymore.” Ené placed a hand on her forehead, rubbing it slightly.
“B-but, there’s still something...” Riné tilted her head curiously.
“Before I got here… I was in this white space - I saw a woman there.”
“I do not think I can assist with whatever that was,” Riné stated.
“I see…” Ené voiced. “Well then, how did I get here? If you know.”
Riné glanced at the floor and blushed nervously. “ I... think I may have that answer, actually.”
Riné stepped forward toward Ené and grabbed the bottom of her shirt, lifting it high to expose the gem embedded in her chest.
“Hey, whoa!!” Ené shouted out, grabbing hold of the lifted end of her shirt, and pulled it down as Riné let go.
“That little gem there, yes?”
“Wh-what about it…”
“Well, you are the only human in this world now.”
“That... doesn’t my question at all-”
“You see,” Riné chimed in, stepping over and pulling out a chair before sitting down, “humans are extinct here.”
“Extinct?!” Ené called out, slamming her hands on the table as she stared wide-eyed at Riné.
“Yes,” Riné continued. “Long ago, humans roamed the land. Just like you, they were able to embed those power gems onto their bodies.
They would gain the abilities of said gems. The more gems they obtained, the greater their lifespan was extended. It took but a dozen years for them to amass power and breed corruption. They became dangerous, and swift action was taken. The gods called upon the order of dragons to take matters into their own hands.
The dragon army was ruthless. They spared no lives in their mission. They exterminated every living human; it did not matter if they were men, women, children, or elderly. No one was spared.”
Ené watched silently, an expression of horror plastered on her face.
“There are now only 4 power gems, that we know of, that have not yet been used in magic items.
The first, the one you possess: a red gem with strength-boosting magic.
The second: a blue gem soaked in speed-enhancing magic.
The third: a yellow gem emanating an aura of regeneration.
Finally, the fourth: a green gem, infused with endurance magic.”
Ené perked up. “Hold up for a second. If all those gems come from this place, how’d the red one end up in my universe?”
Riné blushed and pressed her fingertips together, her eyes darting to and fro with an air of obvious guilt. “W-well, that may have been my ill-doing, unfortunately…”
Ené’s brows furrowed as her eyes stayed open wide, affixed to Riné as she sternly waited for the princess to explain herself.
“You see… I was experimenting with different types of magics. The red gem you possess just so happened to be in the room with me as I was casting. My spell malfunctioned and I suppose it somehow refracted at the gem, causing the teleportation magic to be amplified; sending it to your world… That’s all I know, though. I’m really not sure how it truly went about, and I have no idea how it brought you back to us. This kind of magic is incredibly difficult, and requires immense amounts of magic energy...” Riné blushed more, placing her hands to her cheeks and smiling, full of guilty pride. “I suppose I am a more powerful caster than I previously thought…”
After Riné finished bloating the size of her ego, she stood up and walked over to one of the large arched windows. She looked out, her hand on her chin. “Perhaps…”
Ené’s attention turned from staring at the mapped table to glancing at Riné's back.
“Perhaps this was fate…” Riné continued. “After all, why else would the great Creatress herself come to me and place this responsibility on me? She must have something planned either for you or myself…”
Ené scrunched her face into one of discomfort. “Hell no! I don’t get this! How does me being here have any meaning? Why me?!”
“You think I’d know that?” Riné replied sharply, causing Ené to flinch. “One thing I do know is you’re going to be stuck here unless you can find a way home.”
Ené slumped over in her chair, head held in her hands. “Why did it have to be me?” she lamented.
Riné turned around to look at the pitiful wallowing Ené. “I must tell you something of extreme importance.” Riné’s face carried an expression of unflinching seriousness.
“I’m listening,” Ené grumbled meekly.
“Whatever you do, do not come in contact with a dragon. They will try to kill you, and I highly doubt you could make them change their minds. Perhaps you could reason with the dragons of light, but even then, I do not have faith in that.”
Ené looked up and began, “Wh-”
“Whatever the case, even if you don’t come in contact with a dragon, I would advise against revealing your species. Dragons have many allies, spies, and messengers.”
Ené opened her palms and furled her eyebrows upwards as if to proclaim “Why, world? Why?”
“Dragons. Are you fucking kidding me?” Ené began, exasperated. “I have to conceal myself… from killer, fire-breathing dragons.”
“Unless of course, you could figure out how to convince the dragons to let you live!” Riné chimed in.
Ené simply glared at her.
Riné scratched her temple. “Hmm. Ah! I have a way to try and make this whole thing easier for you. Follow me.”
Riné stood up and began to make her way to the door. Ené sighed but followed behind.
The two of them traveled down more hallways with sconces of the same design as before, until they reached a large light blue door adorned with stark white designs.
Riné clapped her palms together, then separated them, weaving her hands outwards in a spherical pattern. A silver key manifested from the orb between her palms, solidifying between her fingertips. Riné unlocked the door and pushed it open, revealing a lovely bedroom.
Riné, you cheeky girl! Your castle has 6 total guest bedrooms and yet you chose to give Ené the one with a blue theme. Peeking into her memories must have shown you her favorite color as if it wasn’t clear enough by her attire. Sneaky!
The room was spacious, its dark wood floors reflecting Ené’s figure as she stepped in. On the right-hand side of the room stood an armoire with a large tapestry draped across the wall behind it, displaying Siliva city’s crest. On the left-hand side was a long dresser next to a wooden door that led to a bathroom area. In the middle of the room, against the wall between four windows, was a large circular bed. Deep red cloth covered the parts of the bed frame not embellished with white trimming. A large silver ring held up a floor-length black curtain, circling the bed’s frame to encapsulate it in peaceful darkness. Blue satin sheets and pillows shimmered against the daylight shining through the windows.
Ené walked in, taking in the room’s beauty and feeling jealous of the grandeur of it, despite the little decor present.
Riné stepped into the room, onto the welcoming patterned rug in front of the door, and smiled at Ené. She gestured her hands outwards and spoke elegantly, “This will be your bedroom if you’re willing to accept it. What do you think?”
Ené walked over to the bed and glided her hand against the soft material. “It’s very nice.. I can’t really say I want to refuse. I have nowhere else to stay, anyway.”
“How wonderful! Your comfort is important to me, after all!” Riné clasped her hands together with glee, smiling ear to ear.
“There is something a little weird, though.” Ené pointed towards the large arched windows. “Isn’t this room in-between two hallways? How am I seeing outside?”
“Oh, that’s simple!” Riné responded. “The windows of the bedrooms all have simple illusion magics placed on them.” Riné walked over to one of the windows and placed a hand upon it, speaking a word: “Sunset”. In an instant, all of the window’s images changed from a sunny midday field to a sunset-lit meadow.
Ené blinked in surprise as Riné continued, “Keywords can be used to change their imagery, provided that you lay a hand upon its glass. We have settings for mornings, afternoons, dusk, and nighttime. We also have different scenes such as farms, meadows, beaches, rivers, lakes, mountains, space, the sky, and even places in Siliva City! The scenery specific to Siliva city can actually be used to see when shops are open, as they display in real-time! Isn’t that neat? You need only speak one or two words that relate to your request and the windows will fill to the closest estimate of what you want!”
“Oh,” Ené spoke. “That… yeah, that’s pretty cool...”
“Oh! Speaking of Siliva City…” Riné waved her right hand in a spiral and spoke the words “Iriova keova” (Siliva locket), after which a silver locket, engraved with the Siliva City emblem, appeared in her palm.
If you’re wondering, “Si-li-va'' is the proper pronunciation for Siliva, despite there being no written form of that pronunciation in the Slime language. Instead, when translated into written form, “Siliva” becomes “Iriova”, as it is the closest proper translation. Some Slimes spell it in different ways. When using magic, the written form of a language is what activates the magic to work. This is why speaking normally does not work for casting, unless one’s written language sounds exactly the same as spoken. For words that are made with disregard to that nation’s written language, a spell will only work with a written-pronounced translation.
My little creations are so creative, aren’t they! To use magic it’s really only a matter of focusing on your intent and allowing the magic to flow through an outlet, like an item, your hands, or spoken command words. Magic can absolutely be used without speaking, but is less likely to be accurate! The mind can drift in a second, after all: you don’t want to accidentally cast a fireball instead of the water summon you wanted to!
But look at me, getting off-topic….
Riné handed the locket to Ené, who looked at it with a bit of insularity.
“This is the seal of my royal family. Having this authentic piece on your person will allow you many privileges in Siliva that you would not have normally. It marks you as an honored guest or resident of the castle, without needing to explain yourself. This little thing may even grant you prestige in other slime cities and allied territories, though that is a case-by-case variation. As my divine responsibility, I trust this will aid you well in your endeavors.”
“Oh...” Ené’s face shifted to that of appreciation. “Well, thank you! This is really nice of you.”
“Mention nothing of it, my dear!” Riné beamed.
Ené slipped the locket onto her neck, wearing it proudly.
“Well, that is all I can help you with, for now, my dear. I’ll soon leave you to explore at your leisure, and get used to your surroundings!” Riné stated.
“Oh, uh,” Ené wavered, “okay… um, I think I’d like to go back into town, then. I had a really bad impression of this place when I came through here at first. I’d like to rewrite that with hopefully a more pleasant experience.”
“Very well!” Riné acknowledged. “Then allow me to escort you back to the gates so you may be on your way!”
Riné and Ené made their way back to the castle gates, where two new guards had taken shifts on duty. Riné wished Ené a fun time and bid her adieu, returning to the castle to take care of royal responsibilities.
Ené felt herself begin to tremble slightly, but took a deep breath and stepped forward.
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