Pinnimie woke up sweating profusely even though the weather was quite chilly. She was filled with adrenaline from the dream she had. Everything felt so real to her. The feeling of being suffocated was still present in her throat. What was that, she thought to herself.
She looked around to find no one in the room. She was alone. Getting up slowly, she patted herself and, looking around the room, could tell it was morning by looking at the sunlight coming through the windows.
"Fred?" She called out with no response. "Anyone here?"
Seeing as no one was in the house, she proceeded towards the door leading out of the house. She opened the door and was greeted by a wave of sunlight. Being in the gloomy room inside the house, her eyes took some time to adjust to the bright lights outside. Once she could properly see, she was astonished at how lively the town was.
People were scattering around the streets. Children were running around in groups and playing with each other. The shops were all open, and the merchants were selling specific goods in their respective stalls. People were buying things, selling things, and shopping for their daily needs.
Pinnimie was admiring the people when Fred came up to her.
"I see you're awake. How are you feeling?" Fred asked.
"A lot better than before, thank you," Pinnimie replied. "Where were you? When I woke up, you weren't in the house."
"Yeah. It's almost noon now, so I went to buy you some breakfast." Fred said while showing Pinnimie a bag presumably containing breakfast. "I've got you some bread. It's not much, but it's enough to fill your hunger."
Fred handed Pinnimie a piece of bread. Pinnimie examined the almost square-looking piece of food. It was a bit crusty near the edges but seemed relatively soft and fluffy in the middle. She took a bite from the bread, and her taste buds were in love. The taste was nothing unusual, almost somewhat blander than the soup she had eaten before, but still, it felt magical in her mouth.
"Oh my goodness," Pinnimie exclaimed with pleasure on her face. "This is good. What did you say it's called again?"
"It's just plain boring bread," Fred replied. "Nothing special about it. I wonder why you find this much more enjoyable than it actually is."
Pinnimie continued to enjoy her bread while Fred locked the front door of his house.
"Let's take a walk, shall we?" Fred proposed.
Accepting his proposal, Pinnimie and Fred started strolling through the busy streets of the town. There weren't that many people in the population of the town, but the streets were still full of them.
"So, what do you want to do now?" Fred questioned while walking. "You don't know who you are except your name, and you don't know where you came from, where you belong. Do you wish to set out to find out your true identity? If so, I can assist by accompanying you on your journey if you deem it necessary."
Pinnimie thought about it for a few moments. The question lingered in her mind, bouncing in her brain from side to side. She wanted to know how she came to be here and who she was. Maybe finding out her true identity would lead to answering what she saw in her dream, what that thing meant in its sayings. But then again, how long can she search? How long can she venture? First, she needed to figure out everything about this world, and then the quest for her identity would be a real and possible option.
"I don't know," Pinnimie replied emptily. "I want to know who I am, but then again, I don't know anything about this place. Anything about light or shadows or how to use them. I'm unarmed and weak."
"If you would rather not venture out without knowing anything, then I suggest staying here in this town for a couple of days, weeks or even months, learning about everything once again and then set out to find your true self."
Pinnimie thought about Fred's suggestion. It could be rather helpful or even better to stay here and learn everything there is to know about this place and how everything works. She took another bite out of her bread and answered, "I guess I'll accept it. Staying here would turn out to be the best choice."
"I see. Then, for now, let us get you suitable and comfortable with the town. Thereafter, we will start with learning how to use the light. It might take days or months, depending on your skill and learning process, but I figure it will come to you naturally."
Fred took Pinnimie on a tour of the town. He showed her the various places which housed important parts of the town's structure. The libraries, the blacksmiths, the masonry shops, the gates, the vehicles that moved in and out of the town, shipping and bringing in supplies from the main kingdom and most importantly, the guild hall.
Fred explained that the light could be used in many ways, including hand weapons like the one he created to fight the beasts last night or other forms like bows, spears,axes etc. The light can also be used in ranged forms, such as shooting concentrated masses of light towards an enemy or throwing knives or objects formed of light. One of the hardest forms of using the light is healing. Concentrating light onto a person hard enough and covering them with it with positive intention can heal them of injuries and wounds, and can also regain some stamina to the targeted person. But the use of this form of light is very difficult and hard to master, sometimes taking decades of practice.
"I'll introduce you to my friend in the guild. He's a veteran. He'll help you in teaching the ways of the light alongside me. For now, let's just roam in and around the town until dusk. We'll meet with him tomorrow."
