The party of three would make their way into the forest next morning. They would spend a long morning planning everything out, and afterward, they would find themselves spending the night in the forest. After watching Jarl fletch the arrows, Helja would place them in her quiver. She then turned to Emerys, pointing at a small bird. The birdsong which Emerys had identified the day before had a specific name.

The bird is known as a song thrush. Upon seeing it, the bird is a drab brown, but with a white speckled underbelly.

“What do you write?” Helja asked.

“Notes.” Emerys turned and pointed at the bird. “So I remember. I drew a sketch. If I go home, I could discuss it.”

The sketch of the bird struggled with some of the proportions, but Emerys would paint it later. Hopefully.

“Where is home?” Helja asked.

“A big city,” Emerys said. “Close to sea.”

“Far from here?” Helja said.

“Apparently so,” Emerys said.

But as to whether she was in another part of her own world, or if this world was completely different, had yet to be determined. If she could just glimpse the stars, she would likely be able to find a solid conclusion. Her notes on astrology had given clues on the different hemispheres, as one of the professors who wrote the book would be a world-traveling type. It would, therefore, be at least another week before the nautical twilight settled over the landscape, leaving some of the stars visible.

“My son was about fourteen when he disappeared,” Helja said. “To this day, I want to know if he is alright. You are not from here, to where you appeared randomly. Your timing matches his disappearance, does it not?”

“It does,” Emerys said. “I studied the stars in my own world. We predicted the change.”

“I hired you because I want you to help us figure out why and where,” Helja said.

She did not yet know the word for catalyst in this language, but she tried her best. During her daily lesson with Jarl, he would use her own parchment and paper to draw the words, hoping Emerys would would pick up on the words. And in many senses, with the discussion on where words were placed, even with the most basic sentences, she could pick it out when drawn on paper. At least, to a degree. Having studied to be a scholar before her expulsion, the context clues left her with more to be desired. On that morning, she had studied with Jarl before they would leave their hut.

And now, at the end of the day, Emerys wondered if she would ever become comfortable enough in her new language. But she then turned to her satchel, pulling out the stone.

“I have this stone,” she said. She then curled her fist, widening it but a moment later. After trailing her finger in a fantastical flourish, the light from the stone followed her finger. A moment later, she guided the light back, closing her fist around it.

“I can do this,” Helja turned to a nearby branch, then she clenched her fist. The twig at the end snapped. “Since the change.”

“I was right when I imagined Gudrun to be able to heal with plants then.”

“I don’t know about that, but I do know a lot of villagers are now able to work with plants.”

While Helja hunted in the forest, Emerys remained at camp with Jarl. Jarl continued to fletch arrows while Emerys began to make dinner.

Emerys grabbed a piece of fish, as well as some preserved cabbage. With a bundle of herbs, she placed them into the broth of the fish stew. The lack of bread, potatoes or pasta would leave her meal lacking something. But she had tried to experiment, hoping it would be enough. As the butter hit the pan, the smells of what she made permeated into the air.

As the food simmered, Emerys sat back. “It should be nice when I am able to cook with freshly-hunted meat.”

“It should be interesting when you’re able to shoot a deer yourself,” Jarl said. “It is always satisfying.”

When Helja returned, she took the bowl of food, gave a brief taste, and nodded. Meanwhile, as Emerys tasted her own food, she felt it was lacking. The fish had given her some comfort, but it wasn’t enough. Not really. To herself, she was certain she had made her worst meal yet.

“I have an idea,” Emerys said. “I have been learning to listen to the stars. Maybe I can come to a conclusion there.”

Closing her eyes, Emerys steadied her breathing pattern. Upon the intake, she imagined she were pulling the energy into her body, just to let it go when she released a breath. Although there was something of fatigue, possibly from when she had used her abilities, a moment later, a new energy pattern intensified. It was as if she had found the energy surrounding this world, connecting to it slowly. She remained connected into the night, trying to search through the energy. It didn’t matter if she were tired; she would figure out the patterns.

Upon falling asleep in her meditative state, she found herself dreaming she were back in her old world. And when she opened her eyes once more, she took a deep breath and continued panting. She was still in the forest, and she was still surrounded by both Helja and Jarl.

Taking a damp piece of cloth, she found a nearby stream, dipped the cloth into it, and pressed it to her forehead. The panting, as well as the panic, fled her system shortly. She turned back to Helja, who had been keeping watch.

“You should be sleeping,” Helja said.

“For a moment, my body told me I was back in my old world,” Emerys said. “Listening to the stars too hard was a mistake, I think.”

“How does one listen to stars?” Helja said.

“Like one listens to a heartbeat apparently,” Emerys said.

“Why are you scared to go home?” Helja asked.

“I had a bad life there,” Emerys turned back to her cloth, wrung it out, then placed it on her forehead once more. “This life is cozy in comparison.”

“Life here has challenges, too,” Helja said.

“I know,” Emerys said. “I failed life in my old world. Also,  I would like to travel this world.”

“You need money,” Helja said.

“One coin at a time,” Emerys responded.

Emerys turned back to her journal. At this point, it was almost too dark for her to see the paper, so instead, she pulled the stone out. She could not reach into the magic; for she was too tired at that point. Rather, she let the natural light bring company as she wrote.

There are energy rings in the sky, although there is one area of energy which appears to be far closer. I appear to be tired after I do so, but even with everything, pushing myself does seem to come with a subtle growth in power.