Thorns And The Shield

Chapter 1: Follow Me

This story beggins in a farland, where almost every form of life has dissapeared, food were starting to go scarce due to the fact that the humans wasted up their livestock, and the creatures had lost their ability to reproduce themselves. There is also a small group of people who still had some form of magic left, and this was one of them; this man was called Alyssa, he was from a town close to the forest, and he was a wizard. He was a very powerful wizard, but he wasn't very good at using his magic, so he decided to try and find a way to make himself stronger. He went into the woods and started looking for herbs, which of course was very difficult to find. The only thing he could gather were dead wood that had dried out, but since he had a lot of wood on hand he tried to build an altar with it. After some time of hard work, he finally managed to create something useful for himself. As soon as he finished, he got a strong sense of magic coming from a nearby area, so he knew someone was approaching him. He turned around and faced what seemed to be a young woman wearing clothes similar to the ones he saw the last time he came in the woods. She was probably around his age. She said calmly. "Do you know what happened?

Why did everything turn into ash in this farland?" Alyssa said, his voice sounding very tired and worried. "I have no idea what happened. I came here a while ago, but I couldn't find a single plant, nothing even remotely like a herb." the woman replied. "You can stay with me. You won't starve, and my family isn't that bad, so you don't need to worry too much." Alyssa said, not believing what he heard. "Are you sure? Are you not afraid of the people you live with? They must hate mages, right?" the woman asked, not believing her own words either.

She then walked past Alyssa and sat on the ground and took out a piece of paper and pencil from nowhere. "I am not afraid because the people who raised me will never hurt me. Also, my father doesn't want to see me, so he can't do anything. So if anything happens to me, he will not be able to do anything about it." the woman said calmly, writing down some notes. "But you shouldn't stay here for too long! There are people who will try to kill you once they discover you aren't human. Just go back to your home and leave this dangerous place behind, alright? This is the perfect opportunity to start fresh. Besides..." she looked up at Alyssa. "What kind of life would I be leading with a human anyway? My parents would always treat me differently just because I'm different. Even though I love them and appreciate all the care they give me, I just wish they would treat me the way other wizards should."
Alyssa stood there dumbfounded. This girl is crazy! She must have gone through hell or something and now wants to get away as fast as possible. It is definitely true that she is beautiful, but there is something else going on besides those beautiful green eyes. That green eye makes Alyssa feel uneasy. It gives him a creepy feeling when it's looking at you, especially when it comes close.
He slowly kneeled next to the lady. "Hey, why don't we travel together? I mean, why do we even have to stay together forever? What makes you believe that this isn't some kind of trick from the evil witch that lives here?" He whispered quietly, hoping she doesn't hear him. However, the lady seemed completely unfazed by Alyssa's sudden change of attitude. "Because I can protect you, and we will have fun in the process, I promise you that, okay?" she said softly. She grabbed hold of his hands and smiled, a genuine smile filled with hope, happiness, and excitement.

Alyssa could feel his heart beating faster, as if the witch had already made contact with it through those gorgeous green eyes of hers. He felt like his brain was stuck, unable to comprehend her words or move. He was frozen by those emerald eyes, and for a second he forgot how to breathe. Alyssa couldn't remember the last time he met someone like this, maybe not ever.
The witch was smiling again when she saw Alyssa hesitating. She let go of Alyssa's hands and grabbed the boy's shoulders, trying to make him understand what she meant. She pointed toward her chest, her eyes glistening slightly. "That is where I have these powers." She said, pointing towards her ears "These are my gift to the world. I can control nature." She stated proudly before continuing. "I can make plants grow in my garden and animals walk freely around me without fear." She said excitedly.

Alyssa had never felt this weird before, or rather, he never understood what a normal person feels like. His mother used to tell him stories about magical beings, but he never believed her; he just thought that it was all made up. Now, however, he knew that magic exists, and he could actually feel that magic seeping through the air, touching his skin. He felt his heart pumping harder; he didn't like the fact that he could feel his blood coursing through his veins. He needed to think clearly. He was supposed to be an acomplished wizard, after all

Not to mention, this young lady standing in front of him was completely wrong; his friend wouldn't even look twice at a female like her.
"Listen, miss..." Alyssa began, but before he could say another word, the woman interrupted him. "Call me Emma." She said simply. "Okay, Emma. Listen to me carefully: I'll come with you, yes, but only if you agree to follow my rules. Understood?" Alyssa said firmly. Emma looked confused, then she nodded her head vigorously. "Good, so you agree? Do you promise?" Alyssa asked again.

"Of course, I promise!" Emma said immediately. "Now, how about we go to your house and you will explain everything to me."

They headed back home; they both noticed how quiet it was, but they were too busy talking to each other to notice. When they reached home, Alyssa took Emma inside and showed her where she slept and gave her something to eat. Then he explained everything to her, and she agreed without hesitation. He was really impressed with her intelligence and determination, because he was certain that she was lying when saying that she wouldn't do anything if he didn't ask her to do so. "Now, do you still agree that we should go with you?" Alyssa asked one last time. "Yes, I accept your proposal! If you truly want to travel together, we can go anywhere you want. You can even stay at my house for as long as you want!" Emma said enthusiastically. Her excitement and confidence reminded Alyssa of the day he found out that there were others living in his village. He thought it was impossible.

"Very well then, I shall pack our things and we'll leave today. We will head to the closest town where we might find some supplies."

and this is how alyssa and Emma started to travel together, but this was only the start of their adventure they had still no idea of what was going on....