Frieren paused, letting the city's vibrations ripple through her like an unfamiliar current.
Her eyes flickered from building to building, cataloguing shapes and movements as though they were arcane runes.
She clenched her hands gently around her staff as she walked on the grass.
The wind carried scents of smoke and metal across the city
She sniffed. This scent… it sears my nostrils, what is that?
I've never encountered anything like it.
She let out a soft, almost imperceptible sigh, her nose wrinkling at the intensity of the scents.
Then she entered the city.
She cocked her head slightly, trying to make sense of the strange architecture and the shimmering lights of the city.
"Huh?" she murmured, turning her head as she saw people walking by.
Are those the same humans? she thought.
Their attire… so unfamiliar. She observed a man in a crisp businessman's suit, then a woman wearing a wide-brimmed hat
A woman passed by, and when her eyes met Frieren's, she turned away immediately.
Frieren blinked. What's wrong? she wondered.
She stepped behind a tree, observing.
She measured the cadence of their steps, trying to detect any trace of mana.
Nothing… I can't feel anything…
A distant horn honked, startling her briefly. Her staff clattered to the ground, and she adjusted her stance.
W… the metal carriage makes sound?
Then she observed more closely, spotting a human sitting inside.
Her fingers tightened on the tree. It swallows the human?! But the human seems very satisfied inside it…
She stepped back a bit, retrieving her staff from the ground.
Humans… how different they are now, she reflected silently.
She tilted her head, studying the vehicle like it were a magical construct.
How have humans created such strange beasts without mana? she thought.
She crouched slightly, staff in hand, ready to react if the strange metal creature moved toward her.
Her ears twitched slightly, picking up the chatter of nearby people while her eyes continued scanning the crowd.
Their tone… their speech… nearly indecipherable, she thought.
It throbs with life, yet no mana… how odd…
Perhaps humans have lost their magic… or have learned to hide it completely,
Frieren sighed, then turned toward the green space, her gaze settling on the forest.
Perhaps it's time to return to where I came from, she thought.
This is so overwhelming… my mind is ringing.
This place overwhelms all my senses…
I feel uneasy here, she thought.
She brushed a strand of hair from her face, feeling a faint breeze from the forest.
I wonder what awaits me back there… she mused quietly, tightening her grip on her staff.
Frieren's ears flicked at every distant sound, from footsteps to engines, trying to make sense of it all.
She took a slow, deliberate breath, letting the faint forest breeze calm her racing thoughts.
Then she turned to return to it.
A subtle, unfamiliar scent touched her nose, and she turned toward it.
Interesting…
Could it be coming from here? she thought as she stepped toward the coffee shop.