"A little, yeah." He paused. "I knew him a really long time ago and he helped me out a bit back when I was younger. He really wanted an apprentice so I worked under him for a while. I needed the money and he wanted someone to pass on his teachings to."
"What? You know how to forge Glyffe?" I asked, surprised. Silvia's reaction was neutral - she definitely already knew about Stox and Glyffe's past.
"With how strict Stox was, my hands probably haven't forgotten how to craft a sword or two." Glyffe said nonchalantly.
Wow. I never knew Glyffe worked at a forge in the past. I wondered why he needed the money considering Silvia said our family was upper-middle class.
"So Stox was like a mentor to you?" I asked.
He paused. "Maybe." When Glyffe spoke his eyes misted slightly. "He's an old friend." He continued, opting to change the subject.
The hesitance in his expression told me he wasn't comfortable talking about Stox for some reason.
"And speaking of old friends, I hope Zecko and Relly are still doing well too." Glyffe said.
"Zei-co?" It was a strange name to pronounce.
"It's Zec-ko, Reno. That takes me back, Glyffe. When we all met for the first time, I couldn't pronounce it right either. And you couldn't pronounce Relentia either."
"Hahahaha!" Glyffe bellowed loudly - his voice shaking the ground beneath us. "Back at the academy huh - those were the days! Back then you and Relly were inseparable. There was a saying back at the islands—"
The islands?
"If you see Silvia then Relentia's not far behind. Right?"
"Yup - that exact one!" Glyffe laughed cheerfully.
Silvia smiled in response - it seemed like Glyffe had mentioned that saying to her many times.
"Wasn't there a saying about you and Zecko too though?" Silvia said.
"There was, there was!" Glyffe grinned.
"It's easier to spot an ancient demon then to find Glyffe and Zecko apart."
Ah. What sort of ridiculous saying is that...
"Back then it probably was..." Glyffe confirmed.
"I even thought you two were siblings at first."
"'Are you two brothers?' was all anyone ever asked us back then! Back at the islands, me and Zecko were the strongest duo!" Glyffe smiled as he excitedly dropped dad lore. I could faintly hear a noise growing louder in the foreground - but I didn't pay much attention to it.
All this talk about their past was making me curious. Where did they first meet? And what are these islands that they keep mentioning?
"The strongest duo? Aren't you forgetting about two people?" Silvia added as a matter-of-factly.
"Nope. Me and Zecko just let you and Relentia win that one time." Glyffe's reply was confident but his tone was anything but.
"That's why you both were crying after the match?"
""...""
"Don't remember that Reno." Glyffe coughed dryly.
"Okay I'll forget that."
I'll make sure to remember that.
"Mam. How did you two mee—" my words caught in my throat.
"How did we meet? Well funny story actually, we—"
I had gotten lost in their conversation. It seemed like Silvia was the same, also surprised at how far we'd walked already.
"Oh my, we're here. I guess we'll have to save that conversation for another day. Welcome to Butter Town, Reno," Silvia smiled down at me. Before I knew it - we had arrived.
A big wooden archway stood tall before us, with a sign at the top reading 'Butter Town' in aesthetically pleasing cursive. It was the closest thing I'd seen to calligraphy in this world, but that wasn't what caught my attention... at least, not at first.
Green. A flood of greenery washed over me as I gazed at the town ahead. It looked as though a forest goddess had lovingly embraced it, wrapping every building in a verdant splendour. Butter Town was unlike anything I had seen before—every structure was adorned with some variation of plant life, most resembling vines, yet not entirely.
The plants that blanketed the buildings were far more vibrant, colourful, and diverse than any I had known in my previous life. They curled around windows and clung to rooftops, as if reclaiming the land that had once been theirs.
Each building bore its own distinct flora: some pulsed faintly, as though breathing, while others periodically released shimmering motes of light into the air, like miniature fireflies. Spiralling 'vines' twisted outward like drills, some large enough to engulf an entire room, while others were so minuscule they could fit within the smallest of pots.
Every plant had its own quirks and tendencies. Some swayed wildly, thrashing like restless spirits in the wind, while delicate blossoms twirled in their own private storm of floating petals. Others lay flat against the buildings, as steady and unmoving as a mountain. This town was alive.
Above, the clear blue skies stretched endlessly, providing a serene backdrop for the white and cream-colored buildings. The flood of greenery spilled over it all, filling the air with an undeniable sense of freshness.
The architecture blended wood and stone, bearing a medieval influence—yet not quite. At first, I couldn't pinpoint why, but then I realized: the roofs were circular rather than the pointed ones I had always seen in pictures and films.
The grey streets were masterfully paved - smooth, spotless and refined to the touch. To my right was a clear stream, slightly off centre to the entrance weaving directly through the town. The river itself housed a variety of plant species I couldn't wait to admire - just like the buildings.
But, the unique architecture and the pulsing plants on every building wasn't the only surprise Butter Town had to offer. There was also that foreground noise from earlier - the sound of a market. The noise of the people.
"160 Teaves for 800 grams of Bread!"
"I'll buy that!"
"Hold on I'm selling for 145!"
"300 Teaves for 1.5 kilograms of Rice!"
"Aw c'mon can't you do 125?"
"50 grams of honey, only 125 Teaves! First come first served!"
"Of course I can't do 125 - do you know how much I worked for this?"
"Butter Town exclusive Merry Butter! Only in Butter Town!"
"No refunds!"
"Fine 130 then?"
"2 Litres of water and just for 180 Teaves! Don't miss out on this!"
"Limited time offer! Fresh from the karajvink empire!"
"140."
"400 Teaves..."
"Deal."
.
.
.
A bustling cacophony of bargains and deals erupted before me - the likes of which I'd only seen and heard in old fashioned period movies.
I couldn't tell what was more disorientating, the barrage of noise or the visual stimulation of so many unknowns. People riding animals and monsters I'd never seen or even heard of before. Loaded up with cargo that seemed like it was taken straight out of another world.
I watched in awe, my mouth still open - the words from earlier still caught in my throat.
"I..."
"Ah, right into rush hour. We're in the prime of the harvest season and this year was especially plentiful - I can see why you're overwhelmed Reno."
"It's usually quite noisy but it's rarely ever this crowded. It's your first time seeing so many people so it's okay to be a little scared. Just try to relax Reno , me and Glyffe are here."
"This..."
"It's not usually this busy Reno - just hold my hand so you don't get swept up. It's much calmer in the central district where we're headed."
"Yeah she's right - there's much less noise and commotion in the central district so just try and hold out until then. We'll be holding your hand the whole way through so don't worry."
"This is..."
""Reno?""
"This is so cool!"
Glyffe and Silvia both looked at each other in shock - clearly they weren't expecting me to say that.
Coming here made me realise one thing. There was still so much I didn't know about this place. I had assumed it was going to be some generic stereotypical medieval fantasy world - but this, was much more interesting.
As someone who published biology research papers in my previous life - that was the sort of thing I lived for. Plants and animals I'd never even heard of or seen before—I couldn't imagine anything more interesting!
How do they live? Breathe? Communicate? Talk? Procreate? Photosynthesize? Countless questions and ideas flooded my mind. It felt like I'd regressed back into the young boy who opened a biology book for the first time and fell in love all those years ago.
Silvia and Glyffe both smiled, sensing my excitement. My enthusiasm was definitely radiating into the air around me.
"We should have brought him sooner Glyffe."
"Absolutely."
"I second that." I added - not so tactfully.
Glyffe let out a wry smile and Silvia laughed amusedly.
"Let's go, let's go, let's go!" I nagged, fidgeting excitedly like a child who just discovered his first toy.
"Fine, fine come on, lets go. Together—as a family." Silvia replied happily, smiling in satisfaction at both me and Glyffe.
And so, we took our first steps towards Butter town together, hand in hand.
Now we really were the perfect picture of an ideal family.