A strange boy was lying in the grass. He looked to be the same age as her. Seventeen. Although she knew that appearances could be deceiving with some species. So she quickly dismissed that minor detail. She slowly ventured closer when she saw that he showed no signs of moving.
"Maybe he accidentally fell asleep here?" Tulsa thought to herself, somewhat distrustfully. The thought seemed completely ridiculous as it formed in her mind. She didn't even have to say it out loud.
She knew that the chances of a young person just falling asleep outside in a place like this, at a time like this, were slim. There was almost no chance of it happening. The amount of magic that had flowed out of the sacred place tonight was unbearable for almost everyone, regardless of their species. And the place where they were now was quite heavily affected by the aftereffects of the spell.
She slowly lifted her gaze from the boy and glanced at the orchard around them. The moon pear trees were almost glowing. They were bursting with the excess energy they had absorbed just five minutes ago. The fruits, which had been tiny buds just a few minutes ago, had grown into huge, juicy fruits.
Tulsa thought long and hard about whether to pick one from the tree right then and there. She could almost taste the sweet, tart, juicy flavor that the blue flesh of the moon pear offered to anyone who bit into its ash-colored skin.
As she thought about this, she found herself swallowing her saliva in big gulps. At that moment, she scolded herself for skipping dinner today. Simply because she was going to bed early. All this just to deceive anyone who might stand in her way.
She shook her head slightly to clear these thoughts from her mind and looked at the boy again. She tilted her head to the side and examined him thoroughly. She had not yet fully regained her vision after the light wave, but fortunately, the moonlight helped her out nicely. She tucked her hair behind his ears so it wouldn't get in the way while she examined the boy.
The boy was covered in dirt. Soil and vegetation were mixed in his hair and simple clothes. Tulsa took a few steps closer and crouched down right next to him. From there, she could see a few details that she hadn't been able to see before due to the lighting conditions. Namely, that in some places, the boy was covered with something red in addition to dirt. It stood out on his clothes and skin.
"Are you hurt? But where?" Tulsa furrowed her thin eyebrows and began to examine him more closely. First, she looked at his hands. His fingernails were torn and bloody. There was a large cut on one of his palms. Fortunately, the bleeding had stopped. Then, continuing what she had started, she turned him onto his side as gently as she could. Then she saw the matted strands of hair on his head.
As she pulled the strands apart a little, she bit her lip slightly at the sight.
"Pretty serious..." She turned her gaze from the boy to the hillside, from where he had probably fallen. She could almost see the scene in front of her. She wasn't very good at reading clues, but this one was impossible to miss. 'There's nothing over there. Why did he go there?'
She was lost in thought as she shook her head slightly. It was as if she disapproved of what she had seen. But she immediately came to her senses when she heard a small, painful groan from beside her.
The boy needed help. That much was clear from what she had seen. However, she didn't have time to look after a stranger right now. Besides, what reason would she have to do so? It was his fault for wandering around in the woods at night. Who did he think he was? Some kind of great explorer? Besides, Tulsa didn't have any potions with her to treat the boy's injuries. She wasn't skilled in healing magic. Only the most skilled could use it, unless the individual was born with healing abilities.
Tulsa stared ahead for a long time, until she finally made up her mind with a heavy sigh. If she just left him there and rushed home, she would be forever tormented by guilt, wondering if the unfortunate boy had survived the night. So she quickly looked around the area to see what he could do right now. There weren't any medicinal herbs in the area.
Then it was as if a light had dawned on her. She quickly stepped up to one of the trees and placed her hand on its trunk. She had a little talent for water magic. And since she wanted to test herself anyway to see how recent events had affected her ability to control magic, it came in handy.
With a broad smile, she glanced back at her test subject, then turned back to the tree, closed her eyes, and began to concentrate. She needed water with the purest and highest quality magic content possible.
It didn't take long before the soft edges of the tree's leaves began to release tiny drops of life-giving, nutrient-rich liquid.
Tulsa didn't let a single drop fall to the ground, collecting them all in a large sphere above the boy. As the liquid gathered, the strange sparkle in the water became more and more visible.
The sphere emitted a soft blue light, indicating the magic dissolved within it. Magic was always present, but it had never been so visible. At least, Tulsa had never seen such a visible glow during a practical lesson. Neither from herself nor from her instructor. So she knew that this could not be the result of her progress. Still, she smiled from ear to ear as she found harmony with the water much faster than usual.
She slowly broke her connection with the tree when enough cleansing liquid had gathered in the air. All she had to do now was focus on keeping the large mass of water in the air.
She sat down next to the brown-haired boy and turned him onto his stomach so she could reach his head more easily. She gathered a handful of water and gently touched the injured spot. She watched intently as the crystal-clear liquid slowly changed color, and a weak sigh of relief escaped the boy's lips. This almost caused Tulsa to lose her concentration, but she was able to correct herself in time and keep the spell intact. The wound cleaning seemed to be quite effective. But she had to keep in mind that she was not dealing with a puppet, but a living, breathing being. One that could do unexpected things that might distract her from her concentration.
When Tulsa decided that the water was dirty enough, she simply released it back into nature and called for a new batch from above their heads. She continued this for a while, thinking as she did so.
Where could the boy have come from? How had his head been injured so badly? And a thousand other things swirled around in her head, almost as important as these.
For as his gaze wandered down the hillside again, she saw no rocky surface to hit as he fell. And if he had hit his head elsewhere, that raised even more questions. But really, she had little right to judge. Even if she wanted to. She considered it a sort of basic right. At least for herself. If others could judge her without knowing anything more serious about it, then she had that right herself.
She took the view that you should always look at the worst-case scenario. Judge in advance. Do what you want. Show that you are not to be trifled with. And if it turned out that the other party wasn't as bad as it first appeared, it was easy enough to forget all your previous thoughts and prejudices.
Admittedly, the other party wasn't always as forgiving as she was.
Then Tulsa just pushed the person straight back into the other column. She wasn't embarrassed. Why would she? She doesn't want strangers meddling in her life.
And if somebody missed his chance, he didn't get another chance from Tulsa.
She was about five rounds into the cleaning process when the water was finally clear enough to say she'd done a pretty good job. She even nodded a few times to herself and patted her shoulder.
'Well done! The important point is made. Now we just need to tie it up with something.'
Tulsa began to measure the boy's clothes. But they looked too dirty. She glanced at her own long, clean skirt and then made a pained face.
"No. That's out of the question!"
She dismissed the idea immediately and looked at the boy's clothes again.
'Maybe I can manage to get it somewhat clean...' She mused, running the outside of her index finger along his chin a little, touching his bottom lip a little. 'Yes. That should be good enough.'
She immediately reached out with steady hands towards a part of the boy's shirt she found quite clean compared to the rest, then with two hands she neatly ripped the material after a little trial and error, and finally, a small amount of magic.
She called for a new, clean dose of water, which she formed into a small ball in front of her and put the substance into it. The cloth swirled in the sparkling water as if it had been caught in a current. It wasn't a minute before Tulsa judged it clean enough and removed the fabric from the swirl. She untangled it slightly on the ground and then, with delicate, quick, careful movements, wrapped it around the boy's head. This held the wound down and protected it from any extra dirt.
Then, when he had it and slowly turned it back over his back, she looked at his less serious wounds. His hands, that is. She still had just enough water to wash those wounds somewhat. She had at most that much time. So she had to hurry.
Now she had both hands covered with water, and she took both hands of her first patient. The glistening liquid flowed between every pore of both their skin. Washing away any impurities. This was the end of all the water Tulsa had borrowed from the tree. She hoped she hadn't caused too much trouble for the tree and could quickly rebuild its reserves. She didn't want to cause the death of an innocent tree with her little rescue mission.
She quickly jumped up and dusted the dirt off his clothes when a huge horn blared in the crisp night air. It meant that the troops carrying the monks had arrived and were heading back to the city. Which meant Tulsa had to pick her feet. But badly. Because her father was the captain of this escorting team. And there was only one entrance to the city where Tulsa could get home in time. But it also meant that in those few yards, if she didn't hurry, they would cross paths perfectly.
Quickly, she stretched her legs a little and gave the boy one last look before she took off running through the trees. But she had barely got a few yards ahead when a breeze simply blew his legs out from under her. Until she only noticed that she was licking the ground, and even tumbling once.
And when at last the momentum died down, she found herself in such a twisted position with a nearby tree that a stranger looking on might have misinterpreted their relationship. She didn't want to know what it looked like from the outside. He could very well imagine it herself. She tried to compose herself a little and not look at the man not far away from her, whom she guessed was somewhere to her left.
She felt her chafed chin and nose, which were throbbing from the encounter with the tree.
"Tulsa... I am very disappointed in you."
A deep, slightly raspy male voice sounded in the darkness of the forest. It seemed to be mixed with a bit of pent-up anger, which the owner of the voice could barely contain. But he did. He would not let this violent feeling overcome him. Rather, he seemed genuinely disappointed, as his words reflected.
Tulsa's pointed ears perked slightly at the sound. Though she had already known who it was, the unexpected assailant.
She could hear the crunch of fallen leaves and slightly damp blades of grass beneath his shiny black boots. Then, at last, she decided to look up at him. She had nowhere to run. They had already found her. And of all her options, she had managed to catch the worst one.
If only it had been Rosa. His maid. Then she might have had a chance.
But no. She had to catch this man. He had to be the one who found her. If she'd had just a little more luck...
Tulsa had given up hope. Instead, she waited for the verdict to hang over her head and faced her fate.
Why run away from a blade that is already in your neck with only a heartbeat left?
The man wore a wrinkle-free black military uniform without any armor or weapons, which fit his well-crafted body perfectly. The suit was decorated with silver patterns on the shoulders, neck, and sleeves. There was nothing on him that glittered in the moonlight. No emblems, precious metals, or even magic stones. Yet it seemed that whoever wore this simple garment shone in the night air. No. Rather, it was the night itself.
He had shoulder-length black, slightly wavy hair and piercing blue eyes. He was too much like the predator of the night.
Most ordinary people would have given up on their tickers long ago, but Tulsa is used to this heavy presence. Even if her throat was a little scratchy at the moment from the sharp essence of magic in the air that wafted around him when he was really angry.
Tulsa cleared her throat a little before she even thought to speak.
"Hi... dad." Tulsa finally got the words out.
She didn't want to say anything, but if she didn't want to get into more trouble than she was already in, she had to say something. And not just say something, but do it clearly and plainly.
That was the law of the home. Even if it sometimes seemed to cut the wood from under her. Her experience didn't lie. And she had plenty of them.
"What were you thinking, sneaking out and coming out here at this hour? Please tell me, Tulsa. Because I simply cannot understand how you could do such an irresponsible thing?"
Asher scolded, looking down at his daughter with arms crossed in front of him.
The little troublemaker who would sooner or later cause her own death. And sometimes he felt it would be sooner rather than later.