Chapter 3

Zily's horn glimmered faintly in the dappled sunlight as she hopped alongside me, her energy as infectious as it was overwhelming. "Human, you're lucky I've decided to grace you with my presence," she declared, puffing out her chest and tilting her head up dramatically. "I am no ordinary rabbit, you know. My master was a renowned figure in these parts."

I stifled a laugh at her theatrics, but her enthusiasm was hard to ignore. "Oh, really?" I said, playing along. "And what made him so renowned?"

She stopped mid-hop and spun around to face me, her nose twitching indignantly. "He was a traveling merchant and an extraordinary mage! People from all over sought his wares. He made magical trinkets and potions that could heal, protect, or even summon rain during a drought. Every village he visited loved him!"

Her ears perked up, and her tone grew wistful. "We lived here because the forest has everything we needed—rare herbs, sturdy wood, even enchanted stones if you knew where to look." She hopped closer, looking up at me with wide eyes. "You've probably seen those, right?"

I shook my head, feeling a little guilty. "I haven't explored much yet."

Zily's ears drooped slightly, but she quickly recovered, her voice brightening again. "Well, I suppose it's my job to educate you. I'm practically a forest expert, after all."

I couldn't help but smile. Her confidence was endearing, but there was a nervous energy to her that gave her away. "You seem to know a lot about your master," I said gently. "What was he like?"

She hesitated, her playful demeanor faltering for a moment. "He was... kind," she said softly, her eyes distant. "He found me when I was just a kit, alone in the forest. I wasn't blessed then, just a regular rabbit. But he gave me mana, raised me, and made me part of his family."

Zily's voice grew lighter again, almost giddy. "Oh, and his children! They were the best! We played tag in the fields and built forts out of fallen branches. They used to dress me up in little scarves and call me their knight." She struck a proud pose, her horn angled toward the sky. "I was Sir Zily, protector of the realm!"

I laughed softly, picturing the scene. "Sounds like you had a good time with them."

Her smile wavered. "I did... but children grow up. They left to travel, just like their father used to. But he stayed behind. Said he was too old to roam anymore." She paused, her voice dropping to a near whisper. "It was just me and him after that."

The weight of her words hung in the air. I crouched down to meet her gaze. "That must have been lonely."

Her ears twitched, and she looked away, trying to mask her emotions with an exaggerated huff. "Not for me! I'm a very independent beast, thank you very much. Besides, I had important duties to attend to. Like guarding the house. And, um..." She trailed off, her voice faltering.

"You haven't had anyone to talk to since he passed, have you?" I asked softly.

Zily froze, her large eyes filling with surprise. Then, she deflated, her shoulders slumping. "No," she admitted, her voice small. "It's been... quiet. Too quiet."

I reached out a hand, hesitating before placing it gently on her head. "Well, you've got me now," I said. "If you're okay with that."

Her ears perked up, and she looked at me with a mix of hope and excitement. "You mean it?"

"Of course," I said with a smile. "I could use a guide, and you seem like the perfect one."

Zily's face lit up, and she bounded into the air, her horn glinting in the sunlight. "You won't regret it, human! I'll teach you everything I know. And—and maybe you can teach me some things, too. Like, uh, how to cook potatoes better. That one was kind of hard to chew."

I chuckled. "Deal."

As we walked back toward the cottage, Zily chattered on, her voice filled with a newfound enthusiasm. It was clear she had a lot to say, and I was more than happy to listen.

For the first time since arriving here, I felt like I wasn't alone.

Amelia finally found a moment to properly introduce herself, seated with Zily beneath the shade of a towering oak tree. "By the way," she began, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear, "I haven't told you my name yet. I'm Amelia Aspen Greenwood."

Zily tilted her head, her ears perking up. "Amelia Aspen Greenwood," she repeated slowly, as if savoring the sound. "That's a long name. Fancy. Are all human names like that?"

"Not really," Amelia replied with a small laugh. "Greenwood was my mother's maiden name. She loved nature and passed that love on to me, I guess. Aspen was her way of tying me to the forest, too."

Zily's eyes gleamed with excitement. "That makes sense! Your name does sound like it belongs here." She puffed out her chest in mock importance. "And since I'm clearly the most knowledgeable guide you'll ever have, I'll make sure you live up to it."

As the sun dipped lower in the sky, casting golden hues across the clearing, Zily led Amelia around the overgrown property. "Alright, human—Amelia," Zily corrected herself, hopping slightly ahead. "It's time for your first lesson in botany. My master always said, 'A well-informed adventurer survives longer.' You'll thank me later."

Amelia chuckled, following the rabbit toward a patch of greenery. "I'm sure I will. So, what are we looking at?"

Zily stopped and gestured dramatically with a paw at a tall, slender stalk adorned with small blue flowers. "This is Orion," she announced with pride. "Its leaves are used in healing potions. Medium-level wounds, nothing too extreme, but it'll keep you from bleeding out if you're scratched by a beast."

Amelia knelt down, inspecting the plant's delicate blooms. "Noted. What else?"

Zily bounded toward the edge of a small stream that trickled nearby. "This one here," she said, pointing to a cluster of thin, reed-like plants, "is Ariful. It only grows near water. If you brew it right, you'll have a water-breathing potion that lasts thirty minutes. My master said it's perfect for avoiding pesky aquatic predators."

"That's... good to know," Amelia murmured, filing the information away.

Next, Zily hopped to a bright red flower surrounded by a faint buzzing of bees. "This is Fruitla. It smells sweet and has a bit of magic in its pollen. Bees love it, especially the beast kind. If you want honey or just happy bee friends, plant more of these."

The rabbit then led her to a cluster of pungent yellow blooms. "This is Roset," Zily explained, scrunching her nose. "It smells awful, but beasts hate it. My master's kids used to make perfume with it to ward off unwanted attention from the forest creatures."

Amelia raised an eyebrow. "Perfume that smells bad? That's... unconventional."

"Effective, though," Zily replied, hopping toward a striking silver flower growing in isolation. "This is Metleum. When it's fully grown, its petals harden into metal sharp as steel. You humans use it for spearheads and knives, but out here, it's a menace. Animals step on it and injure themselves all the time."

Amelia winced. "Sounds dangerous."

Zily nodded solemnly, before leading her to one final plant—a short, bushy herb with deep green leaves. "And this," she said, her voice taking on a reverent tone, "is Fulna. It's for magic recovery potions. My master said it's a lifesaver when you're running low on mana."

Amelia leaned closer to get a better look. "This place is full of wonders," she said, glancing around the overgrown garden with renewed appreciation. "Thank you for showing me all of this, Zily."

The rabbit puffed out her chest, her voice tinged with excitement. "Well, someone has to teach you how to survive here. Besides, it's nice to talk to someone again."

Amelia smiled. "It's nice to have a guide who knows what they're talking about."

Zily laughed, a high, cheerful sound. "Of course I do! I was trained by the best, after all."

As they moved through the property, Amelia couldn't shake the eerie feeling of the place. It wasn't the decrepit state of the house or the overgrown garden that unsettled her—it was the gnawing question of why she was here and who had lived here before.

"Over here," Zily called out, pausing by a cluster of overgrown bushes. "There's something hidden behind this mess."

Amelia pushed the branches aside and found herself staring at a partially collapsed shed. Its roof sagged in the middle, and one wall leaned precariously, but it was still standing—barely.

"This place is falling apart," Amelia muttered, glancing over her shoulder. "Do you think it belonged to whoever lived in the house?"

Zily's nose twitched as she sniffed the air. "Could be. But if you're asking me who that was, I have no idea. I've never been inside the house before today."

Amelia frowned. "You've lived in this forest for years, haven't you? You've never seen anyone here?"

"Not a soul," Zily replied, hopping onto a nearby rock. "The forest protector's domain stretches far and wide, and this place has been empty as long as I've known it. Maybe the house belonged to someone before my time, or they left before I gained the blessing. Who knows?"

Reassured that the shed was unlikely to harbor surprises, Amelia carefully stepped over the threshold. Inside, light filtered through gaps in the roof, illuminating what looked like a cache of gardening tools.

"These are incredible," Amelia murmured, running her fingers along a spade's smooth wooden handle. "They don't even look rusty."

Zily hopped inside and inspected the tools. "There's magic on them, for sure. Whoever left these behind didn't want them to fall apart. They'll last you a good while."

Amelia found a rake, a trowel, and a pair of pruning shears, all in pristine condition. She also spotted a sturdy canvas bag and slung it over her shoulder.

"What do you think happened here?" Amelia asked as they left the shed. "Why would someone leave all this behind?"

Zily shrugged, her ears twitching. "Maybe they didn't leave by choice. Or maybe they did and just didn't care to come back. Either way, it's your home now—or at least, it might as well be."

Amelia nodded slowly. The idea of "home" felt foreign, yet oddly comforting. For now, it would have to do.

With the bag of tools slung over her shoulder, Amelia followed Zily back toward the old cottage. The evening air was growing cooler, and the forest around them was quiet except for the rustling of leaves. They passed the collapsed shed and made their way back through the overgrown garden, the path growing dimmer as the sun sank lower in the sky.

By the time they reached the cottage, the last light of day was fading, casting long shadows across the property. The trees at the edge of the clearing blocked the horizon, and the sun was just slipping below the tree line, leaving the area bathed in twilight.

"Looks like we're cutting it close," Amelia muttered to herself, squinting into the growing darkness as she approached the door.

"Why not use magic?" Zily asked, hopping up beside her.

She could feel the mana again, the same warmth she had sensed when healing her wound earlier. But she wasn't sure what else she could do with it. She had used magic once, and the feeling had been natural, but everything else was still so new.

As she stepped further inside, stumbling over the debris in the dark, Zily hopped down from the shelf, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "Why are you trying to fumble around in the dark?" she asked, her voice light. "Just use magic to light the room."

Amelia paused, glancing down at her hand, where the small, flickering light still hovered weakly. She stared at it for a moment, realizing the obvious. "Right," she muttered, frustrated with herself. "I keep forgetting I have magic now."

She let out a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves. The mana in her hand still felt familiar, still warm, but there was so much she didn't understand about it. "I've only used magic once," she said, looking down at the weak light. "I healed a cut... but I don't know how I did it. I just felt the mana and it happened. But this—this is different."

Zily tilted her head, her eyes glinting. "It's not different; it's just magic. The more you practice, the more you'll understand how to control it. You already know the basics—now, you just have to practice. The more you use it, the easier it gets."

Amelia's brow furrowed. She concentrated, trying to focus on the light again. This time, the glow brightened slightly, enough to illuminate more of the room. It wasn't much, but it was progress.

"I guess I just need to figure out what else I can do with this," Amelia murmured, more to herself than to Zily. "I know I healed a wound, but I don't know how I did that either. It just... happened."

Zily jumped up onto a table, watching Amelia closely. "And that's the way it works—magic is a feeling, a flow. You can shape it, but you have to understand it first. You can use it for healing, for lighting things, and even more once you get the hang of it."

Amelia nodded, a sense of determination growing within her. She wasn't sure how far she could go with this, but at least now she had a sense of control—she wasn't completely helpless. "I'll keep trying," she said, glancing at Zily with newfound resolve. "I want to learn more. About magic, this world... everything."

Zily gave a satisfied flick of her tail. "Good. With practice, you'll understand it all. And I'll be here to guide you through it."