Ceres

10

One night, when Ceres and the Time Mage were eating dinner in the middle of a forest...

"Old man. Your magic attribute is time, right?"

"Yeah. I have skills regarding the control of time. This is a very, very, very, VERY rare attribute. Now you can see why my name would be widely known. Thank you!"

Ceres can't help but be amazed at how the old man was hanged up on his popularity and rarity. He definitely emphasized that 'very' next to that 'rare'. Is he some sort of an endangered species in this world?

"There is no one other than you with the time attribute?"

"Rare attributes are rare, Cerio. Do you think you can just see them in this vast world when you want to?"

Ceres never knew how vast this world is. In her previous world, she was able to roam around the world when she was only 20. That's how strong she was in that world. She thought that she might be able to do the same thing in this world when she gets strong.

"Let me tell you something. Rare attributes are one of a kind that is why it is difficult to enhance and train them. And, rare attributes appear only in a single person at one time."

"How did you know all about this?"

"It's written in historical documents. It is the rule of the world. No two people can possess the same rare attribute at the same time because rare attributes could cause tremendous changes in this world."

Ceres somehow understood this logic. She compared it to how the world balances things out... Well, somehow.

"How long have you lived old man?"

"That is something that I cannot tell you."

"Then, why do you want to help me?"

"I saw it."

"You can see the future?"

Ceres was taken aback although it didn't show on her face. She already had a hunch about the old man being something like a fortune teller. However, despite her curiosity, the old man didn't respond. He only slowly sipped his tea.

"Old man, do you think I possess a rare attribute? Why else would you help me, right?"

"I have no power to see your attribute. All I can say is that you have a damaged spiritual body and that is not some ordinary damage."

The old man clearly didn't directly answer her question.

"So the spirit healer you're friends with, does he also possess a rare attribute?"

"Spirit healers are not of rare attribute. They are mostly of light attribute with some being of water. They can help gather spiritual essence to replenish the damaged physical and spiritual bodies. You can learn spirit healing when you go to a school particularly the Holy Cross Academy which is controlled by the church."

"I see."

"Do you want to study magic?"

"I want to if I have any attribute but, if there's none then there's no helping it. I can still manage on my own."

The old man obviously took note of how Ceres was still calm despite everything. People would get excited or nervous learning about their attribute since it will dictate their so called fate in this world. But, the old man wondered, 'Why does this young lady possess this calmness that is too rare for her age'?

"What do you plan to do?"

"To become strong."

Ceres knew that the only way she can do what she wants is to become strong; stronger than anyone. In this world, people will only respect you if you become strong. That is why the previous Ceres was treated as a trash and that is why she wasn't able to defend life.

---

They travelled for a week to let the owl rest and also, to check whether Gil can follow them from time to time. Ceres still wear her self-made weights so at first, the large owl named Holly had a hard time flying. After the old man learned about the weights, he immediately told Ceres to take it off when they are flying on Holly. But sometimes, Ceres wouldn't take it off saying she needed to boost her endurance, strength, and stamina.

Roguen is a large city in the westernmost part of Winsterein kingdom which is also near the sea. Thus, it is known for its harbors as well as the Blue Seafaring School. This school caters those who wish to study anything related to the sea, whether they become naval officers or warriors. The harbors, on the other hand, cater the trading business with other kingdoms, countries, or merchant companies that come from the other side of the ocean. All throughout the year, one can smell the scent of the sea and see the vast horizon offered by the city's scenic view. This is definitely kind of refreshing for a lot of people.

[A brief introduction on other schools: Soaring Dragon, where Ceres' brother is studying at, is known for its teaching of magic warriors. Heaven's Peak, where the third prince and Beatrice are studying at, is known for its four major magic curriculums: fire, water, earth, and wind. Meanwhile, Holy Cross Academy is known for nurturing those who want to become a Holy Knight or healer. These are some of the well-known schools in the Winsterein Kingdom and there are still others that are yet to be revealed.]

"Let's first find an inn for you to stay at."

Ceres followed the old man. She clearly knew nothing about this city. After they found an inn and had eaten their lunch, the old man told Ceres to rest and they will look for the spirit healer after five days. The old man said that he needed to do some things first so he didn't need to stay at the inn. Ceres, eager to know more about this world, decided that she should go first to a library or book store.

Fortunately, the library in this city is open to the public. It is not that big and it doesn't contain any ancient history books which need special access unlike those in the capital's library. Even so, Ceres decided to drop by and read.

"There are a lot of schools in this kingdom but the age requirements are all the same. They only accept students ages 10-15. Whether to study in a school or not, I couldn't make any rash decisions since I still don't have any idea about my attribute. Regarding the skills I need on physical combat, I can pretty much train myself. I must also register for the mercenary guild so that I can take on jobs and earn money."

Ceres continued to read until the library was about to close. She felt hungry and started looking for any place where she could eat. She is pretty use to being alone. Gil is probably following her and she doesn't need to pay a lot of attention to what he's doing.

Therest of the day, she rested through meditation. Even in her previous world, shedoesn't sleep or eat that much. All she needs is to meditate and her bodyrecovers faster this way. Though, she was still upset as she still cannot feelthe energy particles like in her previous world.-tbc

A/N: (As of March 11, 2018) I did remove the 'editing chapter' part. It takes a lot of time. I'm so lazy. Please do forgive me for I easily feel tired. My health is not that good. ;A; Please take care of your health, okay?