Leave or Save Sinaba? 

"I'm fine," I told her, turning my eyes up to the sky that was beginning to turn violet and a soft simmering shade of yellow. It reminded me of Granny Fu's cookpot, and the smell of her spiced fruit stew. My stomach growled in the lull of conversation and I tensed up at the loudness of it. Nubi sighed, wiggling from beneath the shade of Shali's hair to fix me with an unimpressed look while Shali stared openly. 

"Air's probably thinking about supper," Nubi explained to her, shaking her head in a 'What-can-you-do' sort of way. "He's sort of a glutton. You'll get used to it."

I felt my face warming up when Shali hummed in response, and snorted with laughter, turning her face away as her shoulders shook. Nubi laughed as well, and I threw my hands up in utter defeat. Was it so wrong for someone to feel hunger? It was a natural thing that bodies did, wasn't it?!

Still, I was glad that the heavy mood surrounding us had been lifted somewhat. The sound of their chatting faded in the back of my mind as I watched the grassy plains surrounding Sinaba continue to drift past us. It was strange to think such a quiet little village would have as many problems as it seemed to, and was far more dangerous than it ought to be. Nubi's insistence that I was brought to this world to help the people during their time of need crossed negged at the back of my mind. 

I tugged at the sleeve of Halide's jacket, and buried my nose in the furry lining of its hood. The pressure I felt in the face of Rhesh, Kadry, and Mike was still fresh in my mind. I had no way to fight against what they were asking me because I didn't know what to say at all. Aramina and Halide protected me then, and Granny Fu backed me up before I realized that I'd landed in a dangerous situation by crossing paths with those three. How much help could I be to them when I was practically wandering around with the understanding of a newborn baby aside from the fragmented memories I just knew? 

I mulled over it for a bit, stewing in my frustration at how ignorant I'd been throughout this entire day, then huffed a sigh. There was no point in beating myself up over it. As unfortunate as all of this was, the only thing I could do was sort out what I had and find a way forward.

"You were right, he does sigh a lot."

"I told you."

My eyebrow twitched before I whipped my head around, glaring at them as they pretended not to notice. 

"I can hear you two, y'know!"

We bickered and talked the whole way into the village. I was grateful that Kadry, Mike, and Rhesh weren't present at the gates when our cart floated past. Shali didn't question me, although I knew she could see the way I turned in my seat. I didn't want to risk them appearing out of thin air and catching me off guard like they did at Halide and Aramina's.

Most of the village's windows glowed a warm shade of yellow, likely from the fires within, and the lit-up lanterns hanging from doorways and wooden posts lining the roads.  The tension left my body when the cart followed a familiar road toward the inn, and I made a note of the twists and turns taken through the village. Shali had grown up here, so she would know the back roads better than anyone else. Until I could get my hand on a map of the village, I'd have to learn them too. 

We circled around to the fenced-in yard behind the inn, the gates opening without either of us having to hop off and push them aside. A presence brushed past me, gently pressing on the top of my head as if someone was patting me. It was gone the moment the cart floated through the open gates which swung close as mysteriously as they'd opened. I got the impression that it was the spirits welcoming us back. The cart turned around, backing close to a wooden shed before lowering to the ground, kicking up a small cloud of dust. 

"You must have been in pretty bad shape before Grandma sent you my way," Shali said, the cart's reins dissolving in her hand. Which it seemed as if they were from the way that they'd vanished into thin air and only the faint prickle of energy around me told of where they'd might've been. 

I blinked out of my stupor, picking up my staff as I stepped off the cart. "What makes you say that?" I asked, offering my hand to her as she followed me. She didn't need it, but she took it anyway and pressed our palms together tightly. I gasped at the draw of energy between our palms, reminded of the moment within the forest when I couldn't breathe. Only this time, it felt as if something was wandering around deep inside of me and looking. 

I considered fighting against it because of how invasive it felt, but I was curious. Shali's hand was still in mind but it felt hardier than it did a moment ago, like I was holding onto solid rock rather than a living being's hand. The feeling inside of my chest was about the same; like a hand sifting around in a bed of gravel. It snagged upon something for a second which gave me a jolt, and I looked down at my chest when I felt the something move. It lifted and then settled back into place before the searching presence withdrew. 

"That," Shali said as she let go of my hand. I pressed my palm to my chest, moving it around as I tried to find where that something had been. It was definitely tangible a moment ago, like I could touch it if I tried hard enough, but now it was gone again. I looked up at her questioningly, and she seemed at a loss for a second before screwing up her face in thought. "Spirits are sensitive to aura density and type. Most of the spirits who live here are air-attuned, so they were curious what could weigh down a Aeros like you."

"An Aeros?" I muttered, looking down at the hand cupped against my chest as if I could still grasp that thing Shali touched within me. "So, what I felt just now was aura?"

Nubi wiggled out from beneath Shali's hair, floating in the space between us with a familiar excitement as motes of light came off her. "That's right!" She cried out enthusiastically, flying straight toward me to hover between my eyes. I'd almost gone cross-eyed from the closeness of her and the brightness would've been blinding if her core's pulsating light hadn't dimmed.

"Aeros are what people born with an air-attribute aura are called. While those with an earth-attribute are Gaeans," Nubi explained, drifting to the side so that I could see past her to where Shali gave an embarrassed smile, then waved. It did explain why her probing around in my chest felt like someone sifting through a sandbox. Though that didn't mean I liked it at all.  Shali scratched her cheek with a sheepish smile, averting her gaze from mine. 

"Sorry, I should have warned you about it means to attune with someone of a different element," she raised her hands in a show of placation, looking at me with shining eyes. "But you seem to learn a lot better from hands-on examples!"

This reminded me of how she looked earlier when she told me about the rites. This girl seemed to be someone who preferred teaching others on the fly, rather than giving immediate instruction. Well, it would have been a little harder to keep things in order if she threw a bunch of information at me at once. I didn't remember anything about schooling but something told me that I wasn't someone who learned well from lectures. 

"Well, it's been working so far," I said dryly, rubbing my hand through my hair. 

A stifled snort caught my attention, and I blinked at Shali. Her face was turned away from me now and she'd covered her mouth with one hand. If it weren't for the way her shoulders were shaking, I would've thought that she was in pain. Slowly, I lowered my hand and a smile twitched at the corners of my lips. Although being the butt of the joke was a little annoying sometimes, I did feel better now that a kid like her was able to laugh so freely.

I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Pleading for the help of a stranger, trying to navigate a situation even adults would have a hard time dealing with, and seemingly all alone while doing it. For this kid who held the weight of the world on her shoulders, tried to smile and reassure a stranger, and carried herself with strength - I could only feel awe and the want to help her out. 

I clenched my fist, pressing it tight to my side. I remembered what Uncel mentioned about debts and the guilt that filled my heart at the thought. But neither Shali, Granny Fu, Halide, or Araminah ever mentioned something like that to me - their kindness was given not with the hope of return, but because they saw something in me that wanted to help. What if this was the same feeling that they experienced when they saw me, helpless and afraid? 

A kindness being returned not out of obligation, but because it was just natural? I wondered as I watched Shali recover from her brief fit of laughter, the motes of sunlight falling over the rooftop glimmering in her hair and her scrunched eyes glancing in my direction.

Were the people in the world I'd come from ever this kind? 

"Well, we should get these inside," Shali announced, looking back to the cart with one hand on her hip. "Granny should have supper on, so if we're lucky, we'll be first in line to get a bowl or two." 

Nubi clung to Shali's shoulder, cheering while Shali explained how to properly skin a prickleboar without injuring yourself. I half-listened, turning my head eastward where a refreshing wind swept through the air and tousled my hair.  The feeling that stirred within my heart had yet to leave, and my body felt as if it were floating with each step I'd taken toward the fence. 

I laid my hand on the wood, hoping it would ground me to this place and to myself, but the sensation spread to my bones making them feel as if they were vibrating. Nubi and Shali's chatter faded into the back of my mind as this feeling took me over almost entirely. 

I'd felt pain, joy, sadness, fear, confusion, hunger, annoyance, happiness, and wanting in this place. 

All in the span of a day, so many emotions had passed through me enough to overwhelm. Even if it carried aspects of it like screens of information, potions, and announcements carried through disembodied voices - how could I still think of this as a game? 

These people were real. They were here with me, and I was with them.

I didn't know what to do with this revelation, where to put these feelings down, where to make them go or if they should stay. I didn't know much of anything, but the understanding of wanting to do something was right there in my bones. 

I guess the first issue to tackle was the most glaring one in my mind. 

"Air?" I heard Nubi call out to me, worried. Like she was when I tried to force a log out and said I wanted to quit. Had that only been a few hours ago? Time really did fly by.

I turned to look over my shoulder. The boars were no longer on the cart, and Shali was nowhere in sight. I figured she must have went inside to tell Granny Fu what we'd been up to, but not even the smell of spiced fruit soup could get Nubi to abandon me. I smiled slightly, and turned around to face her. The quiver of uncertainty through her tiny frame settled and the lightened voids of her eyes swirling with energy widened as I offered my hands to her. 

She floated closer, and the warmth of her filled my palms as she sat down in the cradle where my hands met. My thumbs brushed against her arms in the best impression I could offer of a hug. She didn't tease me, didn't ask any questions, only watched me as if trying to make sense of what I was doing. Honestly, I couldn't put into words what this was or how I currently felt. 

Only that this was a fresh start in front of me, and no matter who I was before, I had something that was required of me now. I would hold it in my hands just as I did Nubi, and embrace it wholeheartedly.

"I was just thinking," I started to say, my voice sounding far-off and reverberating in my head. "Calling the Hero of Air 'Air' is kinda repetitive, y'know?"

For a world that was like a game, the first thing someone did was name the character they were going to play as, right? Wasn't that similar to what parents did for their children when they were born? Giving them a name for them to grow into, one with hopes and dreams for them to live up to or to guide them in a world they didn't know. So, why couldn't I do the same?

"Is the One Who Connects All attached to that name?"

Nubi, realizing that I was speaking to her, quickly shook her head but still said nothing - watching me with rapt attention. I smiled, and the feeling in my chest had begun to shift. It felt less stuffy, and the air was easier to breathe in, like taking sips of cool water - something inside of me quivered at the taste.

"Then, I'd like to go by something else." 

I closed my eyes and tried to think of a name. Elios, Aeros, Hero of Air...

Those words swirled in my mind, and in the midst, a name emerged and it felt so obvious as if I'd always been meant to speak it. 

"What about.. Avra?"

A chirping sound startled me into opening my eyes, and I looked down in panicked awe at my feet levitating off the ground. Nubi swirled around me crying out in glee. I opened my mouth to speak to her before I heard the gentle chime and a notice appeared before my eyes. 

[ The true name has been spoken. ] 

"The.. true name?"