On the morning of the 22nd day, of the third month, of the year 876 New Era, or as her Little Brother Lucas was now calling it, March 22nd, 876 NE, Eris Newton woke up from a not-particularly restful night's sleep.
It wasn't that she was anxious or worried about something, but rather that she was too excited for the new day to arrive.
Today was her 13th birthday, which would have been more than enough reason for her to feel like celebrating; but in addition to that, she had also had another breakthrough yesterday, reaching the Sixth Step Body Tempering Realm!
Ever since Lucas had taught her the Unarmed Foundations Martial Art, and then combined it together with her Flowing Flame Cultivation Technique, cultivating had become much more fun for Eris.
Now, instead of having to sit still, trying to think of nothing while repeating the dull Cultivation Mantra over and over again, she could move around, stretch her muscles, and physically feel herself getting stronger.
Jumping off her bed, the first thing Eris noticed was that it was much warmer today than it had been yesterday, a sign that spring was on its way.
Eris didn't hate winter, nor did she dislike the cold; in fact, a couple years back, when there had been a particularly heavy snowfall, she had quite enjoyed frolicking about in the white, fluffy wonderland.
She had gotten a cold afterwards from staying out too long and was scolded quite harshly by her mother, but that was a small price to pay for the fun and adventure she had.
This year, however, it didn't snow that much as the winter had been fairly mild. Most days, it was just dull and rainy, meaning Eris couldn't go out to play, trapping her indoors together with her dreaded lessons. She really didn't understand why she needed to learn all that complicated stuff like arithmetic, penmanship, etiquette, manners, and history. It all seemed so boring and pointless as she never used any of it in her day-to-day life.
The only enjoyable part of her studies was when Lucas would sometimes join her. He always seemed to ask interesting questions and have unique ways of seeing things. There were even times when her smart little brother seemed to know more than her old, grey tutors.
A few times, Lucas had even taught her about something he called 'science', which involved a very different way of seeing the world around her. Rather than lectures, though, Lucas had made it fun for Eris as he would show her various 'experiments', proving all the strange and unbelievable things he was talking about were actually true.
During Lucas' special lessons, Eris' parents and even some of the staff at the Manor would drop by to listen, many of them finding the things the little boy said to be both fascinating and enlightening.
Eris was very proud of her little brother. He was smart, and kind, and always had something interesting to talk about. What's more, Lucas was a genius who started cultivating before he turned 10!
Lucas might be progressing a bit slower than her, but that didn't make it any less shocking to Eris who had never heard of anyone in town who started cultivating ahead of their 10th birthday.
"As expected of my talented little brother!" Eris would often boastfully declare, drawing various nods from the children and adults around her.
In any case, with the weather warming up and the sun shining through the slats of her small wooden window, Eris couldn't help looking forward to the big party her parents had planned to host today. All of her friends would be there, and her mom had organized a big feast which would surely include all her favourite dishes.
Just thinking about all the fun she was going to have, and all the delicious food she would be able to eat, Eris could barely stop herself from cheering aloud.
Still, there were a few things she needed to take care of before the party began.
Even if it was her birthday, Eris wasn't allowed to slack on her cultivation. In the words of her Teacher, Anna, only by practicing every day would she be able to grow up strong and healthy.
And so, Eris threw off her sleepwear and pulled out a set of training clothes before she headed to the training hall.
When Eris got to the hall, she found Lucas already there, like usual, practicing the Forms of the Unarmed Foundation Art.
Seeing his smooth movements and deep focus, Eris couldn't help admiring how dedicated Lucas was to his training, En en, as expected of my diligent little brother!
Eris also noticed that there was another person in the hall today, her Aunty Farah who ran the big butcher shop in town.
Aunty Farah usually came over once every 10 days or so to drop off freshly cut meats and other things like smoked sausage and ham that Eris' mom ordered; but recently, she seemed to have taken an interest in Lucas and Eris' cultivation.
The first time her Aunty Farah supervised her training, Eris had been quite sore afterwards as she had been pushed much harder than normal, testing her limits while trying out all kinds of different exercises.
It had been a memorable experience, but it wasn't all bad.
Eris quite liked Farah, actually, despite the latter always seeming to be grumpy about something. Training with Farah was hard, but was also very rewarding as she was very knowledgeable and could easily point out the flaws in how Eris was moving, as well as provide suggestions on how to fix any issues she had with her cultivation.
Giving a polite bow to Farah, who acknowledged her with a nod, Eris moved to a spot away from where Lucas was practicing and began warming up, shaking off her last bits of lingering drowsiness.
The rest of the morning proceeded as usual.
Eris practiced together with Lucas for about half-an-hour under Farah's guidance before her father Charles came and took over, allowing her aunty to get back to her shop to open it for the day.
Another hour later, Eris and Lucas had both worked up a good sweat and were now heading to one of the wells in the backyard.
Along the way, Eris heard her little brother mumble something about needing a 'bathhouse' and 'shower', but she had gotten used to him talking about strange things by now. Ever since his last birthday, Lucas had been coming up with all kinds of new inventions, so Eris had gradually stopped being surprised and just chalked it up to him being so clever.
As expected of her smart little brother!
One of the things Lucas had invented that Eris particularly liked was 'soap', which was like the Bathing Cream her mom had bought once before, but much easier to acquire.
Eris wasn't sure exactly how her little brother came up with this thing, but every time she grabbed a bar of soap, scrubbed herself down with it, and washed off all the suds, she felt clean and refreshed.
It wasn't just that Eris enjoyed feeling cleaner though, she also loved the scent of flowers which was left behind after she washed herself with Lucas' soap, and she even noticed that her skin felt softer and was less dry compared to before she stared using it.
When all the other girls in town saw Eris now, they would comment on how nice she smelled, or how her skin seemed to glow. Eris didn't particularly care about how she looked, preferring to run around swing her sword or swim in the river, but no one disliked compliments. Her only regret was not being able to tell her friends about Lucas' soap as her mom had said not to say anything about it.
Fortunately, even that restriction had been lifted not long ago when Lucas began selling his soap in town. It was a bit pricy at 1 Silver a bar, but apparently her thoughtful little brother was working on ways to make it cheaper, and it would soon be affordable to everyone, regardless of how much they made.
As expected of her kind little brother!
After she finished washing up and rinsing off, Eris changed into a brand-new dress that her mother had ordered for her from a big tailor shop in Harold City. Eris was experiencing a growth spurt right now, so many of her older clothes no longer fit her.
At first, Eris only wanted to wear shorts, pants, and shirts as they were easier to move around in; but lately, she had also begun to appreciate pretty things like skirts and dresses.
If there was one thing Eris didn't like about growing up, it was that her chest had also started to swell.
Before, she could just throw on a shirt and go out to play, but now she had to spend time wrapping herself with a long piece of cloth just to hold the two bulges in place.
Honestly, the lumps of fat just got in the way of swinging her sword and they also hurt when she jumped or ran if she didn't tie them up properly. Eris had complained about it at length to her mom and dad, but all they ever said was that she would get used to it and would appreciate them one day.
Eris didn't understand at all and had decided to go consult with her smart little brother; but when she did, Lucas just blushed bright red and said that she should ask someone else for help before he ran away.
Sometimes, even her smart little brother could be silly!
With her fiery red hair tied up in her usual long ponytail, Eris checked her appearance in the small bronze mirror her mother had gifted her a few birthdays ago, claiming it was an essential tool for all women, before nodding and dashing out of her room.
Although she had started wearing dresses and skirts now, shoes were the one thing Eris refused to compromise on. Her shoes had to be comfortable, and she had to be able to run in them. If they didn't meet those criteria, then she wouldn't put them on her feet!
Running through the halls of her home, Eris could see decorations put up all over the place, which brought a happy smile to her face.
On her way to the main dining hall, where her birthday party was going to take place, Eris ran into several of the aunts and uncles who worked for her father, all of whom offered their sincere congratulations and well wishes.
In return, Eris would slow down and thank them politely, just as she had been taught by her mother, but as soon as she was done, she would run off again at full speed, drawing bouts of laughter from everyone.
A few minutes later, Eris flung open the doors of the main hall and was greeted by the sight 50 or 60 of her friends. There was Jenny and Jessie, Baker Jerry's two eldest daughters, Peter, Peddler Rick's son, Mina, Old Man Erwin's granddaughter, Tom and all the kids from the town orphanage, and so many others.
Along with the kids, whose ages ranged from 8 to 16, there were many adults also present, mostly parents or grandparents who had accompanied their children to the party, but also some members of the Town Guard, some shopkeepers and merchants, and other people who were friends of Charles and Sasha.
All together, there must have been at least 150 people present, enough to fill the dining hall, and when the birthday girl burst into the room, all of them turned to her and shouted in unison, "Happy birthday, Eris!"