Boiling Isles: The Next Generation - Act I.

Chapter XXXVII. - Taneisha Cerys: Fairy Tale Part I.

Twelve-year-old Taneisha Cerys quietly paced the beach with her eyes closed, letting her instincts take over her body. The little witch girl was not at all afraid that anything would happen to her, because she had visited the northern part of the beach thousands of times, so she knew every nook and cranny of the place. She knew that if she turned right now and took eleven steps, she would step into a smaller hole that a crayfish had dug years ago for its eggs. If she took seventeen steps to the left, she would be swallowed by a larger quicksand. Fortunately, however, the sand can only absorb her up to her waist, so she could easily free herself. In front of her, more than twenty-five meters away, there was a forest that was home to so many interesting and mysterious creatures. Of course, her mother, Ophelia, cautioned her against ever venturing into the trees, but Ophelia worried needlessly. Taneisha had no intention of doing such a thing, because she knew very well that the forest contained so many dangers. It is especially dangerous for a witch who barely knows how to use magic.

Because for Taneisha, even the most basic spells were a serious challenge. At first, neither she nor her parents understood what could be wrong. But after a healer thoroughly examined Taneisha, it turned out that the little witch girl had very little mana, so she couldn't cast magic normally. When her father, Soren Wlanc, found out about this, he disowned Taneisha from the Wlanc family, saying that he would not tolerate his own daughter bringing shame on him, and then he left Taneisha and Ophelia's life forever.

Taneisha was completely broken mentally by this and tried to practice magic even harder than before to prove to her father that she was indeed worth something. However, on one occasion she overdid the training so much that she collapsed from exhaustion and ended up in the hospital. After the incident, Taneisha stopped training, partly because she didn't want to scare her mother again.

Unfortunately, having little mana not only ruined Taneisha's familial status, but also affected her studies. According to the principal's instructions, Taneisha could only attend core classes and could not enroll in any tracks. Although the little witch girl knew that the principal introduced these measures because of her health, she still felt bad about the whole thing.

Taneisha's social life wasn't the best either. The students mostly accepted the status of the little witch girl, with the exception of a few students who sometimes liked to make fun of her. However, Taneisha couldn't really make friends, which she didn't mind after a while, because at least she could spend more time on the beach.

This little corner of the northern part of the beach had been shown to her years ago by her mother to cheer her up. At first, Taneisha didn't really understand how a basic beach could cheer her up, but as soon as she saw the place for the first time, she understood everything.

The beach was stunning. The entire beach was covered with soft white sand. The roar of the sea was mesmerizing and the blue color played in a thousand shades. Here and there one could find larger rock pieces decorated with dense, lush vegetation.

Taneisha immediately fell in love with the whole place and from then on spent all her free time there, either alone or with her mother.

Suddenly, a small breeze swept across the beach, ruffling Taneisha's lilac-coloured hair. The witch girl smiled and then inhaled some air through her nose. She could smell the combination of salt water and various trees in her nose.

In the next moment, Taneisha stopped and leaned back straight into the sand with her arms stretched out to her sides. A few more minutes and sunset is approaching. At this time, the sun warms the sand more than before, which was quite enjoyable and relaxing to lie in, at least for Taneisha. Her mother didn't really like it when Taneisha did this, because then the sand got everywhere in her clothes, which Ophelia couldn't bear cleaning.