Gaia has lead a normal life. She has loving parents, and fields to play on. It's a trip like any other, when suddenly everything changes and Gaia must question everything she believes.
(I tried)
Gaia rolled out of her bedroll early in the morning, ready to continue her journey. She had already been gone a few days, and she was eager to get back to her family farm. But first, she had to make it to Fidoan. And then all the way back home.
She sighed and packed up the small amount of things she had brought on this trip. Just some food in her pack and a bedroll. Some money was tucked into her shoes, safe from thieves. Gaia was glad she hadn't encountered anyone so far. It was lonely, but it reassured her that there was no trouble.
She finished packing up camp, and stood up and stretched, wishing she could've borrowed the family horse, but it was being used to till the fields. It would've made the journey easier, but it couldn't be helped.
Gaia emerged from her hiding spot in the forest and stepped back onto the road to Fidoan. Her legs didn't ache as much as they had yesterday, which was good. As she walked, dust from the dirt road floated up and covered her leather shoes.
To pass the time, she thought of Mama and Papa and the farm. The way Papa taught her to feed the animals, and Mama's smile when Gaia would run in from the field for supper. She had missed them ever since the farm had left her sight.
A few hours later, Gaia was walking through a small village, the buildings getting denser as she approached the main marketplace of Fidoan. A few minutes later, she was walking through the gates of the square. Gaia clutched tight to her bag, hands sweating. She had never been in such a big crowd before. And Fidoan was one of the biggest cities, and known for stretching the law. Unfortunately, it was closest to the farm.
Gaia wove her way to the metal stands, hoping to find the tools Papa needed. On her way, she spotted a vendor selling animals, saying "Come get a familiar! Cheap price! Only 30 coppers!"
Gaia glared at the vendor in rage. Familiars shouldn't be for sale! They're living beings, just like us! She had to pull herself away from the stand so she didn't do anything stupid. Gaia was surprised at her anger. She didn't even know that much about familiars and their bonded. She'd never encountered one. They were more common in the city. She knew enough about them to know that selling them was wrong, though.
Gaia kept walking, but was almost knocked off her feet by a ripple in the ground. She gasped in shock, heart racing. What was that? Other people had been knocked over by the strange movement, including the familiar-selling vendor. The cages broke open, allowing the animals to run free. Chaos ensued as people shrieked and tripped over the familiars and each other. Gaia pressed herself against a building, out of the way.
She waited until things had calmed down before crouching down and opening up her bag, checking the contents. Her food was still there, along with some of her money she had put there so thieves wouldn't think to check her shoes for more. Her bedroll was there, and when she dug deeper, she discovered a curious token. It was a metal engraving of a rock, circled by a droplet of water, a small flame, and a fluffy cloud. Gaia wasn't sure how it had gotten there. She had never seen it before. Maybe someone slipped it in my bag when I wasn't looking? she thought. But why would they do that? Maybe I found it interesting and put it in there then forgot.
Gaia decided to ponder the question later. She had things to do, and she would have plenty of alone time on the way back home. She packed up her things and made her way over to the metal stands.
An hour later, Gaia had bought almost everything she needed. A few things she couldn't find, or were sold out. She decided to wait until tomorrow, and whether she had everything or not, she would go home.
She found a small, run-down inn where she could stay the night. It wasn't very good quality, but she didn't have a lot of extra money. Gaia booked a room and sat down on the thin mattress, massaging her calloused feet, sore from the journey. She absently rubbed the back of her neck, and to her surprise, found a raised wound in the shape of an X. It stung when she touched it.
Gaia frowned. She didn't remember getting this cut. It was in such a peculiar place that she would think she'd remember it. Her finger had a drop of blood on it from touching the wound. Gaia would have guessed it was from about two days ago, based on the depth of the cut and how much it had healed. But she hadn't been near any sharp things two days ago, just on the road, alone.
Soon, the sun started to set, so Gaia laid her bedroll on the bed and climbed in, thinking about the day. It had been strange, with the weird rumble, the mysterious token, and the X wound on her neck. She pondered this, wondering where it came from. Eventually, Gaia fell into a restless sleep.
The sunlight streamed through the grimy inn window, penetrating Gaia's sleep. She woke up and rubbed her eyes, hand subconsciously going to the wound on her neck. She quickly moved it away, wanting to let it heal. Plus, if she was honest, she was a little afraid of it and how it had gotten there.
Gaia rolled up her bedroll, rebraided her hair, and slipped on her shoes after putting some coppers in them. She checked that her bag was secure, then headed out the door to the market.
She wandered around, looking at items, hoping to see something on her list. She squeezed through a group of people, heading toward some stands she hadn't looked at yet.
A hand grabbed her arm. Gaia spun around in alarm, hand reaching to her shoulder to hold her bag. A woman was standing near a nearby building, clutching her arm.
"Come with me," she said. "I can help you get anything you need." Her eyes shone with kindness, but to Gaia everything about it felt wrong.
"No thank you," she managed, and squirmed away, disappearing into the crowd. She bumped into a large man, who held out his hand to her. It might've been nothing, but he felt wrong, too. Gaia broke into a run. She slipped around some buildings and hid, heart racing. She realized her hand had jumped up to the wound on her neck.
"Menya a'ka torr!" a voice called. Gaia's head whipped around toward the sound. "Torr menya?"
Gaia's gaze went fuzzy for a second. Those words. Where had she heard those words before?
"Menya a'ka torr?" the voice called again. This time Gaia found the source of the voice. An old woman was sitting on her porch, calling. Gaia inched closer. She glanced around. She didn't see any of the creepy people. This woman could be one of them, but she felt more... right, unlike the wrongness of the others.
Gaia tentatively stepped onto the porch. "Hello?"
"Koya! Yanirai Basira, menya a'ka sowa. Ta pu?"
"Uh, I don't know what you're saying," said Gaia.
"Hmph," the old woman snorted. "All right. Hello. My name is Basira. Who are you?" she translated.
Gaia blinked. "I'm Gaia."
"Well, Gaia, come in. Tell me about yourself."
So with one last glance around, Gaia followed Basira into the house.
Here's the token thing Imagine it as metal (I don't know how to draw textures)
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