Jane's Story

Prologue part 2

A young woman strolled calmly along a paved road, nibbling on a small sandwich. The sunrise filtered through her red hair, casting a warm glow. She wore a smile, listening to the faint grumbling in her mind.

    {— Damn, you could've warned me! What was that? You said you weren't a mage, so you must be a warrior! How can you move that fast? And how did you make that bag disappear?!}

   -Calm down, Anna. I'll explain. Since I was six, I trained under my father. Not long after, we noticed I could move much faster than anyone we knew. But it burns a lot of energy, so I need to eat more than most.

She paused, waving the half-eaten sandwich in her hand for emphasis.

   - I can run fast, move fast. And if I focus, I can even think faster than an average person. But that gives me a splitting headache, so I avoid it. My father called it my 'gift.' I still don't fully understand what he meant, but the name stuck.

A moment of silence followed as Anna processed the information. Meanwhile, Jane continued walking at a steady pace. She could, as she mentioned earlier, easily run to the next village. But according to the map she "borrowed" from her parents, they were already close to their destination. One important lesson her father drilled into her was to never reveal her gift too easily—especially when people might be watching.

A few minutes passed before Anna spoke again.

    {— Okay, I remember people like you when I was alive. People with 'gifts,' like you said. But there weren't many. What about the bag, though? You made it disappear! And where did that sandwich even come from?!}

Jane chuckled at Anna's outburst. Without answering, she raised her hand, palm up. A new sandwich appeared out of thin air. She took a bite, shrugged, and smiled.

   - That's my second gift. I can store anything, as long as it's not bigger than me. It's convenient for carrying stuff, but I don't know how much I can hold yet. So far... a lot.

This time, Jane sensed her companion was speechless. She pulled a long black robe with a hood from her storage space, using it to conceal her features. Growing up in a secluded village, she knew she was considered beautiful, and her father always reminded her, "Beauty can attract dangers far worse than monsters."

After donning the robe, she approached the village gates. Despite the early hour, they were open, with two guards standing by. They looked half-asleep, leaning against their spears, but straightened up when Jane neared. They examined her briefly but didn't attempt to block her entrance.

Once past the guards, Anna's voice echoed in her head again.

    {— That second gift is insane! Do you know how long mages have tried to master dimensional magic?! If I had tried, I would've mastered it in a heartbeat! But no, fire magic was more fun... Still, you can manipulate dimensions!}

Not wanting to seem like she was talking to herself, Jane responded internally.

    [{— I'm not manipulating dimensions. I think I just have one all to myself... Okay, that sounds cool, I won't lie. But if your next question is 'Can you slice dimensions apart?' the answer is no. I didn't try. Maybe. Anyway, let's find a place to sleep. I'm beyond exhausted.}]