"Kara?" A chestnut-haired woman called out her name, seeing the giant woman glancing around at the corner of her eyes.
Sunlight spilled across the room, painting the soft pink walls in a cheerful glow. Her personal kingdom of plush toys.
Blankets the texture of clouds, and a faint, ever-present scent of baby powder.
'My favorite.'
About some time have passed since Kara's reincarnation into this world.
'Or wait.. Months? A full Year? Honestly, who keeps track when you're basically a constant napper?'
Time was a blurry watercolor painting in her little head. Sleeping, eating, and the occasional furious battle with a particularly stubborn rattle, that was her daily life.
Maybe she should start a personal note for herself. Like, 'Dear Diary, today I wrestled the fluffy blue monster toy. Again.' the thought made her giggle inwardly.
Kara remembered her parents were completely charmed, fawning over her and snapping pictures like she's some crawling puppy.
'And now, the day have come where I reach my first stage of growth'. She tried again, her legs and arms, once useless noodles. Have developed enough that she can move around a lot.
By means.. A LOT.
Crawling was an Olympic sport, her personal Everest. But the space was still pretty limited.. four walls and a whole lot of adorable, yet slightly suffocating, cuteness.
Today, though. The window called to her like a siren's song. As she looked outside, a blanket of white covered everything.
'Snow! It's my very first time seeing one in person!' It looked like a giant, fluffy marshmallow had exploded across the landscape. She crawled closer, pressing her nose against the frosty glass.
The world beyond was HUGE, she wanted to go outside so bad....
"Oh!"
An irresistible urge, a primal need to defy, seized her.'Time to attempt the impossible.. standing!' She pushed herself up, legs wobbling like jelly, arms flailing like a startled octopus.
For a glorious second, she balanced, like a tiny triumphant penguin.
Then suddenly, her hand slipped the smooth transparent surface.
Thwack!
Her forehead met the glass with a resounding impact that reached the once quiet room.
'Note to self.. Maybe skip the trials for now...'
Glory rushed to her daughter's side, her voice filled with panic. "Oh my goodness, Kara! What were you doing, sweetie?" She scooped the child into her arms, holding tightly.
Kara let out a little whimper, stars momentarily dancing around her eyes.
The chestnut-haired woman caressed her forehead gently. "Shh, it's okay. Mama's here. You gave me quite a scare, though."
She looked up at her with big, innocent eyes. "Mama..." she mumbles.
Glory smiled softly. "Yes, baby. Mama's going to make it all better." She sat down in a chair with a rocking movement to ease her daughter's pain. "Such a strong girl, you didn't even cry despite the pain."
Kara eyelids flutter, meeting her mother's soft and gentle lips press against the bruise.
Before she knew it, a light came fort between her kiss. Something brighter..more golden, like sunbeams trapped within.
It surprised the small girl. Seeing this strange phenomenon sends a chill down her spine.
A wave of warmth washed over her whole body, not just the comforting warmth of her mother's touch.
But something more profound, more..magical.
It wasn't a burning heat, but a gentle, soothing green energy that seemed to flow around the two of them.
Then, she felt a cool and tingling sensation, a pleasant hum that vibrated through her forehead.
Kara watched, fascinated, as the light around them intensified, growing brighter, almost blinding..
Yet somehow comforting.
Glory's face was serene, her features softened by an inner glow that radiated outwards, casting a magnificent, emerald light on her face.
And just like that, it was done.
'W-Woah...'
The throbbing in Kara's forehead faded, chasing away the sting and the dizziness. The bump was so prominent just moments ago, seemed to melt away like snow under a spring sun.
'Was that..healing magic..? No, that was.. Arcana... right?' For a moment, her heart was pounding in a way she couldn't describe.
She knew magic didn't exist since apart from the Arcana concept they always mention, there's no incantation needed based on what she saw now.
'It sounds more like an ability than magic to me..'
"All better, my little adventurer," Glory kissed her forehead again, sending her back from her own thoughts. "Next time, let Mama help you conquer the world, alright?"
The brunette looked up at the chestnut-haired woman, eyes still slightly blurry, but her mind was crystal clear.
'So.. so awesome and..'
"Coo.. cool—Achoo!"
"Oh my, did the cold get to you, Kara?" Glory carefully wipe her nose. She glanced towards the doorway, where the sound of approaching footsteps echoed. "Davel, darling, our baby seems to have caught a chill."
A tall man entered the room, his kind eyes glance at them with a warm smile. He had a medium length black-hair, his eyes were a striking shade of silver orbs. He held a steaming mug in one hand. "A chill, you say? Here, let me take her."
Glory gently passed the child into Davel's arms. He settled into a comfortable stoolchair, while Kara nestled securely against his giant chest. Father began to hum a soft tune, a melody that seemed to lull her into letting out a yawn.
Mother grin at him, "Indeed. You really are the best person to be around in this kind of weather, right darling?"
"Please, my wife. Am i more than just a walking heater to you?" Davel replied, his gaze held a teasing remark.
Glory chuckled, playfully punching his arm. "You're incorrigible."
"Only when it comes to you, my dear," He replied, his eyes twinkling. He looked at his daughter, nuzzling her cheek. "And our little princess."
The small brunette let out a giggle as the couple show their affection openly. 'Mama and Papa are flirting.. it's kinda nice seeing it from time to time.' She thought.
"Now then, Kara. How about about i show you something cool?"
Davel smiled as she felt his body heat becoming warmer. But this time, it felt a bit different. Compare to her mother's gentle green glow, like a warm embrace.
Her father has a pleasant fire nature.
Kara noticed a faint sunset shimmer around his arms.
The orange glow brightened.
Her eyes widened.
She saw them— two wispy, translucent orange thingies, like a concentration of smoke from an incense, unfurling from his back.
A giant art, delicate, almost mysterious.
'It looks like he's growing wings!'
Kara looked up, her gaze now fixed on their surroundings. There wasn't just only the warming temperature, they have glowed with a soft embers smoldering in the hearth. Tiny sparks danced around like playful fireflies.
He gently touched one of the tiny flames to her cheek. It felt like a soft, warm kiss, leaving a trail of pleasant warmth in its wake.
"Do you like it, princess?"
The brunette nodded eagerly, "Mmn!"
"Good. Now, watch this." We playfully tossed the glowing dust into the air, Kara giggled in delighted by the sensation.
Glory chuckled, watching her treasure with pride in her eyes. "You two are so cute together."
"We aim to please." Davel said as he wink at her.
. . . . .
Kara huddled in her father's lap, still riding the high from their playtime.
His voice reverberates through his chest as he converses. She gaze up at him with lazy eyes, trying to make sense of all the grown-up words.
All of a sudden, a strange ringing sound breaks the peaceful moment.
"That's your Slate, right?" Davel nodded and reaches into the nearby desk, retrieving a strange square object.
It kinda resemble the technology from her previous world, more futuristic. A bit unorthodox than the original, one could say.
"Who could it be at this hour?" He mumbles to himself while pressing the screen.
["Sir! I apologize for the sudden call. However, we have some urgent news!"] A voice emanates from the Slate, startling the small girl slightly.
"Don't worry about it. Did something happened?" Davel inquires, walking over to his wife.
["It's those creatures again, sir. The ones we've talk about appearing recently."] The voice on the other end sounds extremely troubled.
"Strays?" Glory's eyes widened with concert.
["I've just received a report from one of our scouts. They've been detected lurking in the forest. We could dispatch our teams, but it appears we're short on troops, sir. Not only that, the Strays seem to have considerably increase in number this time. That's why I'm calling you."]
"I understand the situation. What about the civilians' safety?" Father asks, his tone serious.
["We've already alerted the neighboring town and placed them on a temporary lockdown."]
"Good work," He nods. "Assemble the available teams promptly. Do not engage yet. We don't want them to spread and sneak they're way into the town. I'll be there shortly for the strategy meeting."
["At your command, Commander Davel."] The voice on the other end states before the line goes silent.
The black-haired man begins to stand up, before someone grab his shirt.
"Wait, Davel. I'm coming with you."
He was taken aback. "But Glory—"
"We're both Arcanist, Davel. This is also my responsibility. You heard what he said, there are many of them lurking now. We'll need all the help we can get."
"What about Kara? You know that we can't leave her alone. The housekeepers are on the leave."
"We can bring her," She says without a beat, "I'm aware that it's not the optimal solution. But I vow to protect her."
Davel went silent for a moment, "We'll protect her.. together" He gazes into her eyes, "And the rest of the people to the best of our ability."
'I don't really understand what's going on. But i can tell that something will happen, the tension makes me all the more nervous.'
At eight months old. Kara got her first experience in the battlefield.