[The world of Arandelle]
Gina let out a calm sigh as she enjoyed the feel of the wind all around her. Gina was currently sitting inside the beautiful garden that surrounded the Lake of Remembrance. Her legs were crossed under her, and her eyes were closed as she felt the calm winds blowing over her skin. It had been three days since Gina had first come to this world with Farlow and had been given the task of learning the true essence of Sagehood. On the first day that Gina practiced here, she had simply fallen asleep for the whole day, and the servant who came to get her for dinner had woken her up with an amused smile on her face! That day, Gina had been way too tired, and she had just gotten out of a battle, so there was no way she could have stayed awake for long in such a serene atmosphere!
When Farlow asked Gina about her practice on that first day, she had been embarrassed to tell him that she had just fallen asleep, but Farlow understood, and he simply told her to try again the next day. Gina felt bad about wasting a full day of practice, and so on her second day, she decided that she would definitely make a breakthrough! Gina got to the Lake of Remembrance first thing in the morning, and she began meditating deeply. That day, Gina asked herself a lot of questions. Who was she? What was her true purpose? Why did she want strength? These were the questions that every sage needed to ask themselves if they wanted to surpass their previous limits and become truly free, and Gina slowly started to realise something the longer she asked herself these questions. Her life literally revolved around Jason.
It didn’t matter what part of her life she looked at, or how she tried to define her purpose! There was always one common ground, and that was the fact that Jason was present in her answers! In truth, Gina didn’t dislike this realization at all! The fact that the most important person in her life was present in all her answers made her feel happy! But then Gina remembered what Farlow had said earlier about her finding herself, and Gina began to wonder if she was meant to be happy about having Jason in all her answers. Did having Jason present in all her answers mean that she didn’t have an identity of her own? Gina gently opened her eyes as she gazed at the beautiful scene in front of her, and her eyes trailed towards the cave on the other side of the lake. According to what Gina had learnt from Farlow, that cave was the home of a powerful Wind Sprite, and the only way you can pass through the entrance is by achieving a certain level of mastery in Sagehood. There have only been five sages who managed to pass through that entrance before, and Farlow told Gina that if she manages to become the sixth to enter the cave, then he would consider her training as complete. But Gina had tried to do it already, and right now she knew that she had no chance of getting past the magical forefield blocking the entrance.
The winds around Gina whispered gently to her as they passed by, and Gina could feel her Sage abilities connecting her to the wind in ways that weren’t possible for regular mages. It was as though Gina could use the wind to see the entire world around her. Every ripple on the water and every piece of rock on the ground could be felt. Even the movement of the grass and the animals walking through the garden were also present in the wind, and Gina let out a sigh as she felt at peace.
’I wonder how Jason is doing...’
This thought went through Gina’s mind, and she looked up at the sky. Gina hadn’t heard from Hesabeth ever since their last communication through the crystal ball, and Gina already swore that she would give Hesabeth a piece of her mind the next time she saw her! But in the time she spent here, Gina had finally begun to get used to being around the elves and their culture. The elves were a very community-driven people who cherished family above everything else, and every single meal they had was done in a large room with all the family members present. Farlow had five children, eighteen grandchildren, and forty-three great-grandchildren in his family. Gina had been shocked when she heard about the great-grandchildren since Farlow still looked very young, but Gina knew that Elves didn’t age in the same way as humans, so she was able to accept it quickly enough. But what had really surprised Gina was the reaction she got when she asked about the Queen of the elves. Gina hadn’t heard anything about Farlow’s wife since she came here, but Gina had seen many paintings in the castle that showed Farlow and a beautiful female elf smiling together on thrones. So she knew that Farlow had to have a wife. The atmosphere had changed after Gina asked this question, and at first she thought that Farlow’s wife was dead and Gina was about to apologise for asking something insensitive, but then Farlow told Gina that it was okay, and he simply said that his wife was not with them right now.
That had been a strange interaction, and the way Farlow spoke about his wife only made it obvious that she was not dead. Did something happen that prevented her from being with them? With how family-oriented the elves were, Gina knew that the Queen wouldn’t be excluded from meals unless something very serious had happened to her. But Gina figured that this wasn’t any of her business, and she decided not to bring it up anymore. Gina was now wearing a traditional Elven outfit that she had been given. It was a long white gown that came up to her neck and covered both her hands and legs fully. There was beautiful embroidery along the cloth rims that shone with a silver color under any light, and that made it look like something ethereal and majestic. This was the attire worn by the royal family of Arandelle, and ever since she began putting it on, she could see the regular elven citizens showing her far more respect! The fact that she was permitted to wear this outfit showed that she was a precious guest to the elves.
Another thing that Gina noticed since she came here was how much the elves utilized wind magic! Unlike most people that Gina met, who only used magic or mana whenever they wanted to fight a battle or to carry out some functions, the elves were different. Wind was the primary element of all the elves, and they used it for everything! The elven children had entire games that they played using wind magic. The adults used wind to hunt, travel, pass messages, search for lost items, and Gina had even seen someone use the wind to pick up a book they dropped so they wouldn’t have to bend! To the elves, the wind was more than just another tool that they could use! It was literally a part of them! It was their identity, and this meant that every single elf in Arandelle was a very gifted wind user! Gina knew that she was more powerful than nearly ninety percent of the elves. Even some of the Elven guards weren’t as strong as she was. But when it came down to actual techniques while using wind, Gina would lose out to even the youngest of the elves. That was how good they were.