Whispers of Eldoria: Chapter one

"Monsters, they're everywhere! Run for your life!" The whole city scrambled in terror, fleeing from a vague figure. A day ago, I couldn't see it clearly, but now… it was a beast with sharp fangs and long claws. Why was it coming towards me? Oh no, what is that beast? I'd better run… why can't I move? Why am I a baby?
"Carly, are you okay? You were screaming. Did you have a bad dream again?" It was Mum. She must have heard my screams.
"It's nothing," I told her, trying to steady my voice. "I just saw the beast so clearly today. It had sharp, long claws and fangs, maybe double your height..." I recounted the new details.
I knew I'd be dead if not for her, knowing full well I wasn't meant to be in this land. Just recently, I'd figured out I was human while playing with Claris. She's my only friend, and we've been neighbors for a long time. She was surprised to see me in human form after I pulled off the bracelet Mum had told me not to. Claris promised to keep it a secret, but Mum sensed what happened and wanted to erase her memories. Mum was forced to place a bounding spell on her so that the moment she spills it out, she experiences unbearable pain.
"Looks like you're seeing memories of your past as a human. I wish it was something I could stop..." Mum said to me, her face downcast. I could tell she wanted to try sealing my memories again, even though it kept failing after her first success; I'd recovered my memories later that time. "Don't worry, Mum, I'll be fine," I said to ease her a bit. The sun was already shining high in the sky, so I begged Mum to take me along to meet the other knights, since she wouldn't be going on the scout beyond the walls today.
My mum had business with the knights, who were friends of her late husband, Wilson. They were the ones who were with him on the day the Light relic was destroyed and evil started to lurk around the world. She'd pretended to be pregnant for months, and since elves can give birth with little assistance, only one of the knights knew my true identity. They had both meticulously planned the scene. It was a tough decision, but they did it to protect me.
"Hey, Elara, you miss me?" It was Auntie Rosie, the one who'd helped my mum all those years ago. It was always a happy thing to see her. I loved coming to play with her whenever I discovered something new from my memories. The descriptions of the monsters I remembered also helped them greatly.
"Auntie Rosie, would you mind showing me a trick?" I asked. I always loved seeing magic tricks, and since I was about to enter elementary school, they also wanted me to learn something to keep bullies in their place. First, a flame shot up to the sky, lighting up a firework that formed a rose pattern. It floated down, transforming into a gold flower. I was amazed, and soon some other knights joined the fun. My mum's crew were the best.
"How's Carly been doing?" Auntie Rosie asked, her gaze on me.
"She's been fine," Mum replied, her voice soft. "She's just been recovering terrifying parts of her memory in the form of dreams. I wish I could tell her it's just a dream..."
"I know that's not it. You're worried about her entering elementary school," Rosie interrupted gently. "I'm also worried, but I think it's better to have faith in that little girl. She might not look like it, but she's smarter than you think, and even special. I also know that she has been listening to us this whole time." Auntie Rosie added, then came to carry me in her arms.
I had a special gift of being able to understand situations, and I was able to adapt to this early life. I was also scared because elves experience rapid growth between ages six and seventeen. They become like human grown-ups in their twenties by age sixteen, and from then on, their growth slows. Mum had been looking for spells, and I'd also been having a feeling that the magic bracelet preventing my mana from forcefully taking over was trying to break loose. I didn't want to disturb Mum, so I planned to tell her tomorrow.
"Carly, let's go home already, it's getting late," Mum called from behind me. When we got home that night, the matter was still on my mind. I couldn't sleep and wondered why my path was such a hard one. At that moment, I just wished I could become an elf without those trinkets before dozing off.

In the morning, I woke to a strange lightness in my body. All the trinkets were broken! I rushed to the mirror, my heart pounding, but nothing had changed. I was still an elf. "Mum! Mum!" I shouted, holding out the broken pieces, eager to show her what had happened.
She looked around the room, her eyes darting, as if expecting a magical outburst like last time. But this time, it was different. I could now switch between elf and human form at will. It felt like a miracle, something rarely mentioned in the ancient books I used to read. I thought I was finally free from those trinkets, until Mum calmly took them, fixed them with a quick spell, and told me to still keep them on until I was older.
"Carly, why don't we check something out?" Mum said, a thoughtful expression on her face. "It's not that I'm still worrying, but I'd like to see if you can now use elven magic."
She led me to a secret room I hadn't known existed in our home. "When I first got this place, most people wondered why I wasn't out of my house," she explained with a small smile. "This is the underground room where I trained my magic to this level. There's still a lot I'd like to teach you, but let's start with the basics of magic: Defense!" She made me laugh with her funny impression when she said "Defense."
She started drawing a weird symbol, telling me to memorize it. "I'll try," I said, drawing it imperfectly.
"That's great for someone your age," she praised, a warmth in her voice. "It took me one full month to get it correctly. Let's move on to activating it with your magic, but promise me that you won't use it in public until your entrance exams… that is, if you can use it." she said, a playful challenge in her tone.
"Wow, it worked!" I exclaimed, a shimmering, almost invisible mana wall appearing before me. It pulsed with a faint, warm light.
"Wow! That's amazing! You got it right away," Mum cheered, her face lighting up. "It's not strong enough to block a dagger yet, much less protect you from sharp swords, but seeing how quickly you picked this up, I'm sure you'll master it soon." She then handed me a worn, reddish-brown book.
"This is just a storybook," she explained, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "It tells of a man who wanted to steal the world's greatest treasure. It's a human story, which is why I've been hiding it — possessing human artifacts is forbidden by the king. You'll know its true use during your final years in school. Until then don't think of using it's magic but you should read it"

I soon began basic preparations for school, which was just getting a few outfits, jotters, and a diary. When I first got to the diary store, I was asked to pick one of my choice. I loved the other bright colors, but my mind felt drawn to a plain brown one. It wasn't attractive, but I could sense it calling me with a faint aura.
"How much for this?" I asked the shopkeeper.
"That's the cheapest here, five bronze coins. That thing's been in the store for years. I was gonna dump it later, so why don't you have it for free?" he replied, handing over the diary.
"Thank you, sir!" I said with a huge smile. I checked the other items he had for sale and decided to get a necklace too. "I can't accept this totally for free. How about I pick this beautiful necklace for one silver coin?" I said, choosing a necklace with an egg-shaped gem at its center.
"That's a bit more than its price, but I'll take it. I'll give you a discount on your next purchase, though," he said, making me flutter a bit. I waved to him as I headed home.
On the way, I decided to check out the diary, which had been giving off a weird sensation, almost like it was alive. I could sense it was weak. Why does it give this weird sound? Let me get home first.
At home, I tried pouring my energy into it, curious about what would happen. When I did, something extraordinary happened. This is really strange… why am I feeling our energies syncing? No… wait, ordinary diaries aren't meant to have energy or auras. This is surprising. I hope it doesn't cause any harm, I thought.
"I would not do such a thing to you, my mistress. Why would I harm the one who saved me?" A voice echoed directly in my mind.
Is this telepathy? Books could do that? Please get out of my head!
"That is going to be impossible, my mistress. Once I start syncing with someone, I can't leave that person until he dies… I will now show you my true form." The diary suddenly transformed into a floating gold book. I could see through the book, but the text was perfectly legible. All my current abilities were written on it, and it showed that I had locked human abilities of the rogue mentioned in the book Mum gave to me. It also showed that I had the wisdom of the gods, a blessing from the Light relic that was destroyed. The book could tell me about them in detail.
"It seems the wisdom of the gods has been active since I was a kid. You can also show my popularity… Cool, I have zero popularity among humans while I have 0.5 percent popularity [among elves]… What other abilities do you have, book?"
"For now, showing you all about you is all I can do. As you grow stronger, I will too and also gain more abilities," he replied.
"Okay then, let me see if this necklace has a gift too," I said, suddenly looking at the necklace with the egg-shaped gem. I knew it had something special when I picked it. I fused my mana with it and was surprised to see that the gem was truly the egg of a dragon! It was as tiny as a wall gecko, with two adorable, blinking eyes. "Wow, look at those cute eyes! I'll name you Gem since I thought you were a gem. This necklace is useless, though. I should dispose of it somewhere."
"What's the little creature we have here? Where did you get it? I haven't seen one in a hundred years… You must have good eyes," Mum said, looking at the tiny dragon.
"It's Gem! I bought it as a necklace for a silver coin… I guess it's worth more than that now that you say so," I said. "Don't even think about it… I'm not letting you have it!" I added quickly because Mum's hand was already reaching out, and I knew that look she put on.
"Haha, okay dear, you caught me," she said, dipping her hand into a subspace and bringing out another book. "I'll give you a book about Dragon Lords then. It's an ancient text from my ancestors, who were Dragon Lords. If only my grandfather didn't kill them out of fear… You'll like this type. Its size changes with the level of threat against it, or its master, or its master's will… You're its master now… a Dragon Lord starting at age six!" she said, laughing at the end.
I read only page one of the book, which showed that dragons are dangerous beasts capable of destruction on various scales. They were once hunted by human knights until the birth of the Dragon Lords, who were able to tame them and make them do their bidding. The level of their loyalty varies, but ones raised from birth are born with over 100 percent loyalty to their raiser, even if they're separated for more than a hundred years. "Wow, I guess you aren't so bad after all, Gem! Let me learn how to train you to be my future guard."

The journey has only just begun! With new powers, a mysterious book, and a tiny dragon, what challenges will Carly face next? Find out in Chapter 2, coming next week! Don't forget to follow so you don't miss a thing.
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