3 - Lady Winowa

[Milliflore]

I woke up to the sound of a gigantic bell being sounded. An enormous, alarming sound mixed with screams of panic, confusion, and fear. My eyes greeted a fearful scenery of orange and red. The night was bright but with flames that devoured infrastructures and burned people to their last breath.

Why am I here? Where am I? This place was not known to me. 

I surveyed the others and realized that they have all been heading towards the same direction. I managed to get a little image of what was there despite the fact that the smoke was blinding my vision. There was an enormous gate. They were running out of this village.

My foot rose to run, but someone caught me and caged me in his arms. And there it was again, that familiar touch and familiar feeling. How warming it was to my heart. But we were not in an ideal situation to get intimate.

"What are you doing? We have to escape! We have to follow them beyond the gates!" I screamed.

However, his hands around me only got tighter.

"We don't have to. Don't you like my masterpiece? I did this for you."

My forehead creased.

"W-What?"

I heard him giggle.

"I burned this town for you."

I choked as I gasped for air, my chest heaving up and down to recover from that shocking twist. It took me a while before I felt something salty in my mouth and poking my throat, then realized it was my hair. I was choking on my own hair!

I surrendered myself back to the comfort of my bed in an attempt to ease my racing heart. But it is not long before I am yet startled again, this time by a loud knocking on the door.

"Hey, pretty face, you awake?"

Oh. It's just Jacob. 

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes. I will come down in a few minutes!" I shouted.

"Well, you better make haste. Someone has been waiting for you since an hour ago."

I heard his footsteps leave.

I checked the clock and saw that it was only half past six. If that someone has been waiting for me since an hour ago, wouldn't it be half past five since that someone got here? I really better make haste. It's embarrassing for that early bird.

I jumped out of bed and got changed into my white dress. I got myself groomed up before locking the door. Then, I went downstairs.

By the way, this place is really accommodating, far from what I had imagined. It was late at night, at least a quarter before 10, when I got here in "Mix and Kaboom!". It turns out it is a potion shop; that is why it is named like that. 

The one who greeted me, the owner of this place, was an old man named Mr. Polly. And his apprentice was the lively guy, Jacob. I just found out last night that this is a really popular place for women seeking love potions. What they make here is a hundred percent effective.

I ran downstairs to the shop. My eyes met a classy woman, wearing a hat despite the lack of heat inside the shop. I do not know exactly what to call her clothes, but they were sure far more elegant than my five-year-old dress. And her shoes, they had this long stalk on the heel's area. It's so pretty. She's so pretty!

"Are you done examining me?" Her voice suddenly thundered.

"O-Oh, no. I was just, uh, admiring you. You look… pretty."

A corner of her lips rose up.

"I hear people say I'm pretty a lot of times, yet admiring is something different. I'm not quite sure you can say that after you've actually spent some time with me."

She stood up from her seat and removed her heart. And as expected, she was far even more gorgeous!

"My name is Winowa. I am your aunt, Milliflore."

My eyes widened in surprise. I immediately narrowed the distance and shook her hand.

"O-Oh! N-Nice to meet you, aunt. Grandma said... a lot about you." An uncomfortable smile escaped my lips.

She scoffed.

"Don't flatter me. Your lies have already been seen through."

Right. I was too excited. Grandma has not said a single word about her, let alone speak her name. What I only know is that an aunt of mine is going to pick me up.

She sighed, an evidence of how tired she is. Without a word, she headed towards the doors in grace and looked back at me.

"Get your things. We're leaving right away."

I don't know what happened, but I just immediately found myself running upstairs to get my bag. I felt like the second I disobeyed her orders, I was going to be burned into a crisp.

Without a second thought, I dashed through the doors. I saw Aunt Winowa waiting inside the carriage and stopped for a while.

"Hey, Jacob? Where is Mr. Polly?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

"Most likely doing one of his odd hobbies. I don't really know."

I smiled.

"Say thank you for me to him. It was nice meeting the two of you."

I heard him shout to take care of myself, but I had already shut the doors. I got up inside the carriage and sat in front of Aunt while her people settled my luggage.

Once everything was settled, the carriage finally started to move. It was nice to travel inside a fancy car like this one, but I couldn't help but feel dreadful. Auntie's been quiet, and the tension just keeps multiplying.

I wonder what is going on in her mind. Did she just also find out that she has a niece?

"Uh-uhmmm… Aunt Winowa, I was wondering where we are going? Grandma did not really say things about—"

"We're going to travel for six hours to Fredranch and stay there for a week. Then, we'll head to the port to Vermille Kingdom."

My eyes popped out of my socket.

"V-Vermille? Isn't that place filled with witches and demons and other sorts of creatures?" My tone elevated.

"You're one of them. Don't act so flabbergasted."

I covered my mouth in embarrassment. I was overreacting, I guess. Yet, the thought of seeing other odd creatures such as me makes me feel excited and anxious at the same time. Aside from Grandma, I have not really interacted with the same kind as me.

"We're going to a ball in Vermille. It's an annual gathering of us creatures. That is why I must also teach you how to control your powers. Gladly, you have not caused an accident this morning whatsoever."

Right. Of course, she knows about my sudden and uncontrollable burst of power. I am glad that it has not come out for the past few days. Maybe because nothing triggers me yet. 

"D-Do I need to do a display of power in front of them?" I asked.

She stared into me, revealing a slight smile not reaching her eyes. 

"You may have to. But most importantly, I do not want you to make a mess and possibly offend a certain demon. There is no knowing what he will do once that happens."