Chapter 2: New Home
Rachel woke up feeling refreshed and energized. She had spent the previous day exploring the forest and discovering new magical creatures that she never knew existed. As she got dressed, she heard a knock on the door. She wasn't expecting anyone, but she decided to answer it anyway. She opened the door to find two men and a woman standing there, with smiles on their faces.
"Hi there," the taller one said. "I'm Ethan, and this is my friend Lucas. We live in the nearby village, and we came to welcome you to the forest. And this is our friend Sophia and Aiden. She's been living in the forest for a few years now, and she knows a lot about the magic here."
Rachel was taken aback by their sudden appearance, but she couldn't deny that they all seemed friendly. Ethan had dark hair and piercing blue eyes, while Lucas had blonde hair and warm brown eyes. Sophia had long red hair and bright green eyes while Aiden has golden eyes with blue hair.
"Thank you," she said, smiling. "I'm Rachel. Nice to meet you all."
They stepped inside, and Rachel noticed that they all had a confident stride and an air of mystery about them. She couldn't help but feel drawn to them, even though they had just met.
As they sat by the fire and chatted, Rachel felt a sense of comfort and ease around Ethan, Lucas, Sophia, and Aiden. They were all easy to talk to and seemed genuinely interested in getting to know her. Ethan is a level 5 fire Wizard while lucas is his exact opposite a level 5 water mage, Sophia is a level 6 healer while Aiden is a level 4 thief specializing in using weapons to kill any creature mercilessly. Rachel herself still haven't awakened any power and can't be considered a professional with just basic magic. It take either a natural awakening when facing against great peril or you will have to go through costly procedure in the temple which will take around 1000 gold which is a lot considering a family of three can live for a month on just 10 silver coin and the exchange between gold and silver is 100 silver to one gold coin, 1000 gold coins is an astronomical amount for a civilian and the chance for natural awakening is 1/10000 i.e, only 1 in 10000 person can be a natural awakeners, they even have a specific title for them which are Exceeds.
Over the next few weeks, Rachel spent a lot of time with her new friends. Sophia showed her how to use her magic to heal and protect the creatures in the forest. Aiden, who was an expert in weapons, taught her how to defend herself in case of danger. And Ethan and Lucas took her on many adventures, exploring the unknown depths of the forest and discovering new secret, Rachel felt like she had finally found a place where she belonged. She had a purpose, a family, and a sense of belonging that she had never felt before.
But Rachel's new life was not without its challenges. As she settled into her role as the guardian of the forest, she realized that there were dark forces at work that threatened to destroy everything she had come to love.
With her friends by her side, Rachel knew that she had to be strong and brave. She would do whatever it took to protect the forest and the people she cared about, even if it meant putting her own life on the line. Little did she knew that it won't be long when her first battle take place and it would almost cost their group their lives because of not having a warrior in the group who should take the lead in attacking and a tank who should keep the group from hurting.