I was walking down the hallway, each step making the wooden floor creak. Slowly, I got closer and closer to the kitchen—not on purpose, especially since there's never any need to rush at home.
I could hear my mother's voice and Nyana's talking. At first it was faint, but as I approached, I could hear them more clearly and louder.
"How is Seray doing?" my mother asked.
Before Nyana could answer, I quickly stopped and stood at the edge of the corner wall.
"Well, it doesn't seem like she's fitting in."
"Really? That's a shame." My mother's voice carried a sad tone. "Maybe if I talk to the boys, maybe they…"
"There's no need. She just needs some time."
I stayed silent despite what I heard. Not that it was a big deal. I quietly walked away.
The day we were going to the tribe happened to fall on the weekend. We woke up early and met in front of the library. Damian, Helen, Seray, and I waited for Neses.
Just as Helen stood beside Damian—and chatted with him—Seray, who was usually quiet, stood beside me.
I was watching her. She moved closer to me, like a crab, and grabbed the short sleeve of my shirt. She gave it a gentle tug.
"I thought it would be just us going," she said. Her indifferent demeanor disguised the curiosity in her voice, which didn't match her face. Her right eyebrow was raised while the other was lowered.
"Sigh, don't worry. They're just coming to pass the time," I told her as I took her hand in both of mine and gave her a slight smile. "My time will be yours while we're there."
Her eyebrows rose, making her frown. Her eyelids widened, and I could faintly notice her jaw drop. After one or two seconds, her usual expression returned.
"Very well then. I can't wait."
I looked at Damian and Helen. They were laughing at me while watching us.
Neses arrived with her usual cheerful mood.
"What's the joke? If it's as funny as you're making it sound, I want to know too."
"It's not a joke," my brother replied, laughing a little more alongside his girlfriend. "I was just telling Helen some funny things, and we laughed."
"Well, I love funny things."
"I don't think you'd find it funny," I told Grandma, though I was looking at my brother. "I heard the joke and didn't find it funny at all."
Neses shrugged with a smile.
"Come on, children. The tribe tour starts now."
"Right," we answered in unison, except for Seray, who remained silent.
We started walking, with Neses leading the group, Damian and Helen by her side, and me right behind them with Seray.
My brother and Helen walked hand in hand ahead of us. Neses walked confidently with her chest out and head held high. Meanwhile, Seray walked beside me with one notable difference from usual—she grabbed my arm the moment we started walking.
At first, I found it strange and started breaking into a cold sweat. As we kept walking, I got used to the situation.
I looked at her, clinging to my arm, and studied her face. I focused on her eyes. What stood out most in them wasn't their pure crimson color, but something deeper.
I don't know what it is, but I feel… something different. It's hard to explain.
Her presence doesn't make anyone uncomfortable. In fact, she doesn't even try to have a presence at all. You can tell from her behavior. Even her own mother said she just needed time.
"Your eyes are deep," I said quietly so only she could hear, "and beautiful. I like them."
Her eyes widened, and her lower eyelids tightened. She looked at me with several emotions at once.
"That's good," she replied weakly after lowering her head.
We walked several kilometers without saying anything else or even looking at each other, simply paying attention to what was ahead.
Damian and Helen walked almost glued to each other. Neses simply kept walking normally.
We walked until we reached the forest and arrived at the barrier.
"Alright," Neses said calmly. "For those of you coming here for the first time, pay attention to what I'm about to say."
She raised her index finger and made a serious face, even furrowing her brow.
"This is only the first barrier. There's another one, and I'll explain it in detail."
"What do you mean, two barriers?!" My confusion made me frown while my eyebrows rose involuntarily. "You never told me that!"
"I did tell you. You just weren't paying attention when I explained it the first time." Her face clearly showed how obvious she thought that was. She clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "Anyway, back to it. It may seem like the tribe's village is close to the city, but it's actually located in the exact center of the forest, surrounded by a barrier. These two barriers are connected. More specifically, when you cross this first one, you're literally teleported to the other. The two barriers serve as a contingency against invaders who don't know they need magical codes in order to leave through the second barrier."
"So if someone crosses the barrier without those codes, they'll just end up lost in the forest without any mercy?" Helen raised her hand and voiced her doubt—which, in my opinion, was more of a certainty, since I genuinely didn't know either.
"Exactly, young lady," Neses answered with a cheerful smile. "The only people outside the tribe who have those codes are me and Ryo. Well, as far as I know—since I'm not the first guardian mage of the city and the village."
The others looked at me without any apparent surprise.
"Alright, explanation over!" Neses clapped her hands again. "Ryo, please do the honors."
I approached the barrier and infused mana into my closed fist. Slowly opening my hand, I touched the barrier. I overlaid it with a pattern of cracks—not to break it; that was the code. The barrier absorbed the code, and an opening with a vortex rose from the ground.
"Now we just have to pass through. Once we do, it'll close," Neses explained carefully so that no detail would be missed. "When we input the codes, we also have to set a mandatory limit on how many people will pass through, so it doesn't stay open unnecessarily and to prevent intruders from entering without us noticing."
"Enough talking." Everyone turned to look at me. "Let's go in. Even if no one enters the portal, it'll close."
"There's also a time limit in case no one enters?" Seray asked.
"Sigh." That was my only response. "Yes. Now let's hurry. We still have a lot to do inside. There are some things I want to show you."
Seray, my brother, and Helen exchanged glances, shrugged, and stepped into the portal.
"You don't need to be nervous. We have the whole day ahead of us," Neses said as she approached me and crouched down so we were eye level. She finished by placing a hand on my head. "I know you want to show them a lot of things, but you'll still have to train today."
She stood up, ruffled my hair a little before removing her hand, and then passed through the portal.
Before entering, I took a step back and looked up at the sky. I wanted something to come to mind. I don't know why, but nothing did.
A faint, refreshing breeze brushed against my face, scattering my hair even more. A few strands almost formed bangs over my eyes.
"Sigh!"
I closed my eyes and fixed my messy hair. As soon as I opened them, I spun around in a quick motion and slowly walked toward the portal, stepping through it.