The village of Ekrin sat nestled in the crook of two dying hills, its fields barren after the third season of blight. Smoke rose from crooked chimneys, twisting like the spirits the old wives whispered about at dusk. There was no laughter today—only silence broken by the caw of distant crows and the slow creak of the barn door swinging open.
A farmer, Jorran, stood outside his crumbling home, dust caked to his boots, fingers knotted with work and guilt. Beside him, nine year old Maria stood trembling, her hands clasped tight in front of her skirt, knuckles white. Her eyes were dry but wide, darting between her father and the carriage that had just arrived—a black, lacquered thing drawn by silent horses with eyes like molten gold.
The woman who stepped down from it did not belong here.
She wore a bright green dress that bore no embellishments , the fabric as fine as spider silk and twice as expensive. Her hair, an earthly brown, was pinned in intricate coils, not a strand out of place. Her face was noble, proud, untouched by sun or toil. A single glass vial swung from her belt, filled with something faintly glowing.
"Jorran," she said, voice calm and cool, "You have come to a decision, I believe?"
He swallowed. "Aye. The land's gone. The well's near dry. My sons'll starve by frost if I don't." He couldn't look at his daughter.
It was at this moment that Maria realized that this stranger was not here for their cow, taking a step back she turned to her father tears welling in her eyes. "Papa… no. Please."
Before he could speak, a sharp cry came from the doorway. Two boys—Jak and Tomen, no older than twelve and fourteen—rushed out. Jak held a rusty sickle, the blade chipped and useless. Tomen simply had his fists.
"You can't take her!" Jak shouted, positioning himself in front of his sister. "She ain't yours to sell!"
"She's not a cow," Tomen growled. "She's our sister."
The woman merely raised a brow at their antics, her composure not at all broken.
She stepped forward, the wind shifting as she did so—bringing with it the scent of crushed roses and something burnt beneath it, something chemical and unnatural. The boys faltered. Even the sickle wavered.
"I am not cruel," she said gently. "But I am owed what I paid for."
"You paid for a child, a person" Maria spat, finding her voice. "I'm not cattle, I'm a person!"
"No," said the woman, stepping within inches of her and taking her chin in her hand. Ignoring the boys who looked ready to rush at her at any given moment "You are not, from the moment your father accepted my coin, you lost the right to call yourself such. Now you are simply mine."
Jorran flinched at those words as Jak lunged forward with the sickle, but the alchemist paid him no heed. The blade made contact with the fabric but what happened was something no one expected, the blade shattered with its pieces littering the earth as Jak stood frozen.
At first the expression of shock and confusion dominated his face like all the others, but soon these expressions began to vanish from his face as he remained motionless like a statue.
The farmer knew not what was happening to his sound but knew it was unnatural and hence pleaded to the woman to let his boy go. She merely gave him a sideways glance before letting out a "hmph".
At that sound Jak regained motion stumbling back a few steps before dropping to his knees as life sprung back to his face which now held expressions of abject horror.
"Now, I believe I have wasted enough time, come with me child."
Tomen dropped to his knees beside his brother, eyes wide with helpless rage. Maria tried to run to them, but her father gripped her arm. His hand was shaking. "Forgive me, girl," he whispered, "but this is the only way."
"No," she breathed. "I'll never forgive you."
The alchemist nodded to her driver. The man emerged and held out a hand, waiting. Maria stood frozen, caught between the haunted look of her brother and her father's cold resolve. Her legs refused to move—until the alchemist touched her shoulder, and warmth bloomed across her skin, lulling, almost kind.
And just like that, she followed her.
As the carriage wheels turned and the dust swallowed them whole, Maria turned back to give one last look at the two boys who clung to each other in the dirt, watching the last of their sister vanish over the ridge.
***
Maria blinked the memory from her thoughts as she made her way to a stall. She had left Rusvil in a haste after meeting the individual who called himself Rubedo, a decision that proved to be a wise one. Information had spread far and wide about what had happened in Rusvil.
The tales grew more outlandish with each telling, but what was certain was there had been a clash with the scarlet church, the results being substantial damage. With the sudden increase in security in the place she was all but certain that they had failed to recover whatever it is, that was stolen.
Whatever it may be, Maria decided it was none of her concern. Thus she was preparing herself to travel to another region.
Before she left however, Maria made a stop in the town of Stoneford, In the bustling market square, the air was alive with the mingling scents of spices, herbs, and freshly baked bread. People moved like currents in a river, each with their purpose amid the colorful stalls and echoing calls of vendors.
As Maria paused at a vendor's stall displaying exotic crystals and rare botanical specimens, her keen eyes caught a glimpse of movement nearby. A small boy, no more than eight summers old, darted furtively between the stalls with a loaf of bread clutched tightly in his grimy hands. His eyes, wide with hunger and fear, betrayed the desperation of his actions.
Thinking better of alerting the authorities, Maria simply observed, her gaze softening with understanding. She knew all to well the struggles of the less fortunate, better than most who claimed same. After all nothing compared to actually having to live as such.
The boy's attempt to slip away was thwarted by a burly merchant with a booming voice and a stern glare to match. "Thief!" The accusation rang out, drawing the attention of nearby patrons and stall owners. The call, as well as the heavy hand on his shoulder froze the boy in his tracks, his eyes inevitably welling with tears as he faced the inevitable consequences.
Having observed the scene, Maria made a decision and stepped forward gracefully, to intercept the growing tension. "Wait," she called out, her voice carrying a calm authority that hushed the murmurs of the crowd. "There's no need for harsh judgments."
The merchant, still bristling with anger turned clearly to utter some choice words, however these words vanished like water in the dessert once he laid eyes on Maria. He had been a merchant for quite sometime meeting people from all over and had thus had gained some experience in judging people.
With one look at such inhuman beauty as well as those eyes that seemed to regard everyone as their lesser, he immediately knew he was dealing with a tower alchemist and thus held his tongue.
Maria stood before the man, her demeanor gentle yet unwavering. "Forgive the interruption," she addressed him respectfully before her eyes shifted to the boy taking in his disheveled appearance and the loaf of bread still clutched tightly in his hands. "I do believe, the boy only stole a simple loaf bread, surely not worth all this?". her head tilting slightly as she finished her question.
"Theft no matter how small is still theft. If we allow this now who is to say the brat won't do something worse the next time". Finding his tongue once more the man spoke up, his words were however measured.
"Very well, how much is it. I'll pay for the child now let him go."
Once Maria payed the Merchant what he was owed, he released the boy into her custody. With a nod she led the boy away from the market and all the prying eyes.
"Here you go", having gained some distance Maria turned to the child. From her satchel, she withdrew a small pouch containing coins, herbs, and a wrapped loaf of bread similar to the one the boy held. "Take it" she offered, extending the pouch toward the child.
The boy hesitated, his lower lip trembling as he clutched the pilfered bread to his chest. Maria's expression softened as she knelt before him meeting his, "this is no trick, here have it" The boy looked her in the eyes for a moment seemingly searching for something.
Maria had no clue what it is the boy was looking for but he must have found it as he reached out to take the pouch, "thank you".
Those words were the first words the boy said to her, and subsequently they were the last as the boy ran with his gains down an alley and disappeared from her sights. Maria stood up once more eyes fixed on the alley where the boy had disappeared, before placing this whole encounter in the back of her mind and continuing about her day.